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Camp, Brady Statements on Passage of Countervailing Duty Legislation

March 06, 2012

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), issued the following statements today upon passage of H.R. 4105, bipartisan, bicameral legislation in the House of Representatives.  This legislation overturns the decision of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in GPX v. United States and preserves the validity of the countervailing duty proceedings against imports from China and Vietnam.  The legislation also addresses an adverse World Trade Organization (WTO) finding that there may be “double remedies” in situations where countervailing duties are applied to non-market economy country exports at the same time that antidumping duties calculated using the so-called “surrogate value” methodology are applied to the exports.

Chairman Camp: “Today’s action ensures that U.S. job creators will continue to have the tools they need to fight the distorting influence of unfair subsidies from non-market economies like China.  These subsidies distort the free market, violate World Trade Organization rules, and most of all, they cost U.S. jobs.  The legislation also brings the United States trade law into compliance with WTO obligations by addressing potential ‘double remedies.’  This legislation is a vote against allowing China to continue its inappropriate and unfair practices. That is illustrated by the broad bipartisan support in the House, its unanimous action in the Senate, and the full support this approach has received from the Administration.”

Trade Subcommittee Chairman Brady: “I am pleased that the House passed this important legislation, which preserves our ability to address China’s unfair subsidies.  We cannot allow China to pick winners and losers in the marketplace by bankrolling its companies and giving them an unfair advantage against U.S. companies and workers.  This legislation provides a WTO-consistent tool to offset these market-distorting subsidies.  It also ensures that we do so without violating our own WTO commitments.  Given that the Senate has already acted on an identical bill, I hope that it is quickly signed and enacted by the President.”

A summary of the bill can be found here.

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