Even when GSP isn’t on the Congressional agenda, it still manages to find its way into almost any discussion on trade.
This afternoon, the House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee held a hearing on the Panama FTA. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro, who testified at the hearing on behalf of the Obama administration, used her opening statement “once again to urge renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) programs.”
Although the hearing focused on Panama and the pending FTAs, Sapiro was not the only witness to mention GSP renewal. Doug Oberhelman, Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar, expressed support for GSP renewal in his opening testimony. Caterpillar, a signatory of the GSP Supporter List, was testifying on behalf of several organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has also signed on to the list.
Perhaps all these mentions will convince Congress to put GSP renewal at the forefront of the agenda soon.
