Trade Subcommittee Chairman Says GSP's Importance Isn't Overlooked

The fact that no one responded to comments during a recent field hearing about the expiration of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program doesn't mean Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee don't care about GSP, House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said.

He said in a hallway interview at the Capitol on April 28: "It's important. This is about the supply chain. This is about our relationships with our friends." He acknowledged that India is a strategic partner. That country's expulsion from the program was also noted by NAECO CEO Bruce Bergmann, whose factory hosted the committee for a field hearing last month (see 2304210041).

Smith said he had been talking to the overall committee chairman, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., and while he can't offer a timeline for when GSP renewal might get a vote in committee, he said he thinks it will get a vote in the House this year.

"It's noticed that this is an important issue," he said.