House Returns to DC Next Week
Following passage by the Senate of the GSP/TAA bill last week, it now returns to the House for final passage. There have not been any public announcements about when the House may take up the GSP/TAA bill, but we’re preparing for (hopefully) the final push to get GSP renewed. As we noted after the first...
Continue readingTime to Show Our Gratitude
Last week, we asked companies to contact their Senators in support of the GSP/TAA bill. When all the votes were tallied, H.R. 2832 passed with the support of 70 Senators. The inclusion of TAA made the vote particularly difficult for Republicans, but at the end of the day 17 Republicans voted in favor of the...
Continue readingCoalition for GSP: Press Release on Senate Action
The Coalition for GSP put out a press release this morning applauding passage of the GSP/TAA bill last night by the Senate. Click here to download a copy of the press release. Quotes from release: Laura Baughman, Executive Director of the Coalition for GSP: “A large and growing chorus of American companies and trade associations...
Continue readingSenate Passes GSP/TAA Bill
A little while ago, the Senate passed the GSP/TAA bill by a vote of 70-27. From the reading of the roll, approximately 16 Republicans joined all the Democrats present to pass the bill. The final results should eventually be available here. The Senate votes tonight are a big step forward, but we are not in...
Continue readingSenate Votes Scheduled for 4:30pm
If you haven’t contacted your Senators already today in support of H.R. 2832, now’s the time to use our Email Your Senators and let your position be known.
Continue readingSenate Votes on GSP Expected Today – Email Your Senators!
The Senate expects to vote on the overall GSP/TAA bill later today. Failure of either the TAA amendment or the overall package – or the success other amendments – threatens not only GSP, but the larger trade agenda this fall. We’ve updated our Email Your Senators page to urge support for today’s votes. If you...
Continue readingSenate Debates….GSP Supporter List Grows
The Senate is in its 3rd day of debate on amendments to the GSP/TAA bill. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) keeps saying that he hopes we’re “heading into the home stretch,” but it is unclear when final votes will take place. While the Senators continue to talk, more American companies continue to join our efforts. Since...
Continue readingGSP Has NOT Been Renewed Yet
We received a call from a customs broker this morning alerting us to (false) information they had received about GSP being renewed effective October 1st. This is not true – the Senate continues to debate the GSP/TAA bill. Below is an image of the message forwarded by the customs broker – if you see similar...
Continue reading8 Senators Oppose Cloture Vote for GSP
The Senate passed the cloture motion this evening by a vote of 84-8. All eight “no” votes came from Republicans, including: Alabama: Senator Jeff Sessions (R); Senator Richard Shelby (R) Arizona: Senator Jon Kyl (R); Senator John McCain (R) Louisiana: Senator David Vitter (R) Oklahoma: Senator Tom Coburn (R) South Carolina: Senato...
Continue readingSenate Debate on GSP Bill Begins (CSPAN2)
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) focuses primarily on TAA, but also cites Coalition’s figure of $400 million in tariffs paid by US firms because of GSP expiration. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) now speaking; raising objections to sleeping bags. You can watch the debate on CSPAN2.
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