Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation to ensure that we can continue to fight unfair subsidies from countries like China that violate the WTO, injure our industries and cost U.S. jobs.  This legislation reaffirms that our anti-subsidy or countervailing duty laws apply to subsidies from China and other non-market countries and overturns an erroneous decision by the Federal Circuit that the Department of Commerce does not have the authority to apply the CVD rules to NMEs.  China distorts the free market by giving enormous subsidies to its producers and exporters, and our companies and workers should not be expected to compete against the deep pockets of the Chinese government.  That is why it is important that we preserve this important tool and ensure that current countervailing duty orders and investigations from nonmarket economies remain in place and that this important tool is available in the future.

In addition, this legislation fully complies with our WTO obligations.  China agreed to be subject to countervailing duty laws when it joined the WTO in 2001, and the WTO has reaffirmed our right to apply these laws to China.  Failing to enact this legislation would mean that we’re unilaterally giving away a right that allows us to protect American workers.

This legislation also brings the United States into compliance with its obligations by requiring the Department of Commerce to make an adjustment when there is evidence of a “double-remedy.”

Finally, I am pleased that this legislation, which has already passed the other body, is bipartisan and has the Administration’s support.

For all of these reasons, we urgently need to pass this important legislation.  I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.