[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 30 (Monday, February 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 7416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3297]


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TRADE DEFICIT REVIEW COMMISSION


Notice of Open Hearing

AGENCY: U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.

ACTION: Notice of open public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the following hearing of the U.S. 
Trade Deficit Review Commission.
    Name: Murray Weidenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Trade Deficit Review 
Commission.
    The Commission is mandated to report to the Congress and the 
President on the causes, consequences, and solutions to the U.S. trade 
deficit. The purpose of this public hearing is to take testimony from 
Members of Congress, and Administration and International Agency 
officials on the trade deficit causes, consequences, impacts and 
solutions. A research panel will provide perspective on trade and 
economic relations with China in the afternoon.

Background

    In fulfilling its statutory mission, the Commission is holding 
field hearings to collect input from industry and labor leaders, 
government officials, leading researchers, other informed witnesses, 
and the public. Professor Murray Wiedenbaum of Washington University, 
St. Louis, who is a former Chairman of the President's Council of 
Economic Advisors, chairs the Commission. The Vice Chairman is 
Professor Dimitri Papadimitriou, President of The Jerome Levy Economics 
Institute at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Purpose of Hearing

    In light of the ongoing massive trade and current account deficits 
incurred by the United States, progress in improving U.S. exporters' 
access to foreign markets is critically important. The failure of the 
WTO Ministerial in Seattle to come up with a negotiating agenda for a 
new round of multilateral trade negotiations highlights how the 
consensus on reducing barriers to trade has fractured. Rebuilding the 
consensus on trade issues in the United States is of critical 
importance in addressing the large U.S. trade deficits. The work of the 
Commission, by analyzing the U.S. trade deficits in a non-partisan 
manner with the input of leading experts, will provide a reasoned and 
informed answer on how to respond to the trade deficit and its 
consequences. The findings of the Commission, while not binding, will 
likely form the basis for Congressional consensus building on trade 
policy as we enter the next century. There will be two sessions, one in 
the morning and one in the afternoon, for presentations by invited 
witnesses on their views on the interrelationship between the trade 
deficit and the topics of the hearing. There will be a question and 
answer period between the Commissioners and the witnesses. Public 
participation is invited and there will be an open-mike session for 
public comment at the conclusion of the afternoon session. Sign-up for 
the open-mike session will take place in the afternoon and will be on a 
first come first served basis. Each individual or group making an oral 
presentation will be limited to a total time of 3 minutes. Because of 
time constraints, parties with common interests are encouraged to 
designate a single speaker to represent their views.

DATE AND TIME: Thursday, February 24, 2000, 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern 
Standard Time inclusive.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held in Room 562 of the Dirksen Senate 
Office Building located at First Street and Constitution Avenue, N.E., 
Washington, DC. Public seating is limited to 75 to 100 seats and will 
be on a first come first served basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing 
further information concerning the hearing or who wishes to submit oral 
or written comments should contact Kathy Michels, Administrative 
Officer for the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission, 444 North Capitol 
Street, NW, Suite 706, Washington, DC 20001; phone 202/624-1409; or via 
e-mail at: [email protected].

Providing Oral or Written Comments

    Copies of the draft meeting agenda, when available, may be obtained 
from the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission by going to the 
Commission's website at www.ustdrc.gov. The Commission requests that 
written public statements submitted for the record be brief and concise 
and limited to two pages in length. Written comments (at least 35 
copies) must be received at the USTDRC Headquarters Office in 
Washington, DC by February 21, 2000. Comments received too close to the 
hearing date will normally be provided to the Commission Members at its 
hearing. Written comments may be provided up until the time of the 
hearing.

    Authority: The Trade Deficit Review Commission Act, Public Law 
105-277, Div. A, section 127, 112 Stat. 2681-547 (1998), established 
the Commission to study the nature, causes and consequences of the 
United States merchandise trade and current accounts deficits and 
report its findings to the President and the Congress. By statute, 
the Commission must hold at least 4 regional field hearings and 1 
hearing in Washington, DC. This is the fourth in a series of field 
hearings to be conducted. The schedule of hearings is available at 
the US Trade Deficit Review Commission website www.ustdrc.gov.

    Dated at Washington, DC, February 8, 2000.

    For the U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.
Allan I. Mendelowitz,
Executive Director, U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-3297 Filed 2-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-46-P