Conference Committee for China Package Delayed by Lack of Trade Bill Movement

No conference committee members for the Senate China package have been appointed, even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said a month ago the package would go to conference "immediately" with House bills (see 2111180009).

It is impossible to begin negotiations toward a compromise because the House Ways and Means Committee hasn't voted on trade provisions, said Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., Schumer's original partner for the Endless Frontiers bill that became the heart of the larger China package. It's not necessary for all the House bills that correspond to Senate approaches to pass that chamber, but it's necessary for them all to come out of committee, he said.

"Sen. Schumer's had conversations with Speaker Pelosi, and Speaker Pelosi promised him that each of the corresponding committees of jurisdiction in the House of Representatives would report out a bill to be conferenced by the time we return next year," Young told International Trade Today. He said Ways and Means needs to pass its own language on the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, since the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA, as the Senate China package is now called, renews those two programs.

But the Ways and Means Committee would be hard-pressed to act by the time the Senate returns, since House members won't return to Washington until Jan. 10, unless the Senate passes Build Back Better before Christmas. The Senate is scheduled to return Jan. 3.

Democrats on the committee are still trying to form a consensus on how they'd like to shape the GSP and MTB, and whether they want to instruct the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to reopen Section 301 exclusions, as the Senate bill does, Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the leader of the influential, pro-trade New Democrats caucus, told International Trade Today.

"Our voices are heard as part of that process," DelBene said during a press call Dec. 15. "We are continuing to engage directly with Chairman Neal on our priorities." She said they'll continue the discussions when they can meet again in person, and said, "I don’t think there’s an official date yet that’s been defined" to consider a bill. DelBene said her caucus does see GSP, MTB and Section 301 exclusion as important provisions. "The Senate moved on this; we want to make sure we release our version of strong policy that will be part of the conference," she said.