GSP, MTB Will Not Be Passed This Year

The omnibus spending bill, the last legislative vehicle of this Congress, did not include a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program or the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. The tariff relief will have been gone for more than two years, as a result.

The Coalition for GSP had argued for the importance of GSP renewal getting onto the omnibus, but made no public statement when the bill was released in the early morning hours Dec. 20.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., one of the candidates to lead the House Ways and Means Committee next year, has said that he would aggressively move GSP if he were chair (see 2209200068).

House Democrats had not been willing to bring GSP and MTB up for votes without also renewing Trade Adjustment Assistance, which expired this year.