Ways and Means Members Not Bullish on GSP Renewal in Lame Duck

With just 14 days in session scheduled for the House of Representatives before the end of the year, Ways and Means Committee members are not expressing optimism that a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program will be one of the items that gets a vote this Congress.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., told International Trade Today: "I would like that. I don't see it at this point."

Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., a vocal advocate for GSP on the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, said, "I have no idea."

Trade Subcommittee member Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said, "I'm not sure."

Several trade lawyers have said recently that GSP won't come back any time in the next four years, because, they believe, the Trump administration is against the trade preference program (see 2411150048).

When asked for his take on that opinion, that Congress didn't act at the end of 2020, before the program expired, because the Trump administration opposed it, Schweikert replied: "That wasn't my impression. I think it [was that there] wasn't enough focus on it. Many of the people who wanted GSP sort of showed up late, and didn't make much of an argument." He said GSP beneficiaries figured that it would be renewed early in 2021, as it had been after the previous expiration, and they would get refunds of the tariffs paid in the intervening months.

He said that other groups that were more aggressive got their priorities taken care of in the lame duck in 2020.