[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE STRONGER ACT OF 2015

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2015

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, as trade agreements have evolved to more 
accurately reflect international commerce, they've become more complex. 
This complexity limits U.S. ability to simultaneously oversee, 
implement, and enforce these agreements. For instance, in 2001, China 
joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Nearly 15 years later, as 
outlined in the 2014 Special 301 Report, Chinese laws still call for 
mandatory intellectual property transfers from U.S. firms to Chinese 
parties--laws that are inconsistent with their WTO commitments. 
Similarly in Peru, the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement went into effect 
in 2009 and contained some of the strongest environmental protection 
and conservation provisions ever included in a trade pact. 
Implementation, however, has faced constant efforts to roll back 
progress.
  These two examples do not necessarily demonstrate a lack of 
commitment to enforcing our trade agreements. They do, however, 
demonstrate that enforcement resources have not kept pace with the 
scope and complexity of our trade agreements. As a result, we have not 
been able to extract the full value of our agreements to the 
disadvantage of our businesses and workers. Looking ahead, some Trans-
Pacific Partnership countries will need significant capacity building 
and technical assistance if they are to meet their new commercial, 
environmental, and labor obligations.
  The STRONGER (Supplemental Trade Review, Oversight, Noncompliance and 
General Enforcement Resources) Act of 2015 would create an Enforcement 
Fund to support trade and development agencies for a narrow set of uses 
relating to the enforcement and implementation of our trade agreements. 
This fund would follow the precedents of the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Fund, the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, and 
others that rely on a small portion of related tariff revenue to fund a 
multi-agency effort.
  During the last five fiscal years, the United States has averaged 
$442 million in anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) that go 
to Treasury's General Fund. The Enforcement Fund would receive a small 
fraction of our annual AD/CVDs--never to exceed $30 million with a 
maximum transfer of $15 million annually--for the enforcement and 
implementation of our trade agreements.
  Under the legislation, certain U.S. agencies would be authorized to 
use Enforcement Fund resources for the enforcement of current and 
future FTAs, the implementation and enforcement of WTO obligations to 
which the U.S. is a party, capacity building focused on effective 
implementation and compliance with FTA commitments (with priority given 
to environmental and labor commitments), and the monitoring and 
evaluation of U.S. capacity building efforts to ensure investments are 
spent wisely. Importantly, none of the funds could be used for 
negotiating new trade agreements. The STRONGER Act would also establish 
a set of requirements enabling continuous oversight and improvement in 
our trade capacity building investments.

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