House Action Today on GSP
Lots going on today. The Coalition for GSP sent this letter to all 435 House offices this morning. We also included links to the GSP Supporter List, our breakdown of supporters by CD, and our state pages. Since the vote is expected to take place tonight, we asking companies to use our updated Email Your...
Continue readingCall/Email Your Reps in Support of HR 2832 (GSP Renewal Legislation)
As we noted last Friday, the House is scheduled to vote on GSP renewal legislation tomorrow, September 7th. We need to generate as many calls and emails as possible during the day tomorrow (the vote on the bill won’t take place before 6:30pm EST) to show the strong support from businesses around the country. To...
Continue readingGSP Bill on House Calendar for Next Week
When Congress returns to DC next week, one of the first actions in the House will be the consideration of a bill to renew GSP. According to the floor schedule published by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the bill is set for consideration “under suspension of the rules” on Wednesday night. This is just the...
Continue readingGSP Supporter List Nears 300
Approximately 5 months after we originally posted our GSP Supporter List, companies continue to reach out to us asking for their name to be added. While Congress took its August recess, the list continued to grow, crossing the 290-organization threshold this week. We’d love to get it up to 300 before Congress returns to DC...
Continue readingRadio Story on GSP
Last week, Public Radio International’s (PRI) The World featured a radio story on GSP expiration and its impact on small businesses. You can listen to the story or read the transcript here. GSP Supporter List companies dZi and Swing Design, both based in Massachusetts, talk about the price increases they must endure. Marideth Sand...
Continue readingEmail from a Cambodian Producer
The other day, we received an email from a bicycle manufacturer in Cambodia that has been hurt by GSP expiration. Typically, we focus only on the impacts to American companies here, but this is a story that should be told. As background, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world with an average...
Continue readingEarly Responses to August Recess Poll
We want to thank the companies that have responded to our latest poll and provide some quick results. Responses vary greatly for not only the financial impact of GSP expiration, but among the companies themselves. Poll Response Ranges Number of US Employees: 3 – 40,000 Expected GSP Shipments: 1 – 200 Expected GSP Tariffs Pai...
Continue readingQuarterly Report Says GSP Expiration Led to Declining Profits
Fort Lee, New Jersey-based Empire Resources issued its quarterly report for the first half of 2011 yesterday. Empire Resources is a distributor of value-added, semi-finished aluminum and steel products and serves more than 200 customers in the transportation, automotive, housing, appliance, and packaging industries. Despite net sales increase...
Continue readingGSP Expiration Cost $60 Million in June; New Poll on Cost of August Recess!
Yesterday’s trade data showed that American companies paid an estimated $59.6 million in new taxes on $1.5 billion worth of previously GSP-eligible imports in June, bringing the total tariffs paid to $335 million in tariffs on $8.8 billion worth of imports in the first half of the year. Last week, we noted noted that Congress...
Continue readingGreat GSP Op-Ed from Voith Hydro
Kevin Frank, president and CEO of Voith Hydro’s North American operations, penned a great op-ed for today’s Congress Blog at The Hill. In it, Frank argues that: “Businesses that have remained competitive due in part to their use of the program are now burdened with significant – and unexpected – costs. These new ...
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