Stabenow Applauds Passage of Customs Enforcement Legislation

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow applauded Senate passage of S. 1269, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. This bill makes permanent two provisions in Senator Stabenow's Trade Enforcement Act. It creates a permanent Interagency Trade Enforcement Center and for the first time, creates a Chief Manufacturing Negotiator at the Office of the United States Trade Representative who will be responsible for protecting the interests of domestic manufacturers in trade negotiations. For years, Sen. Stabenow has led the fight to toughen enforcement of existing trade agreements and hold other countries accountable for artificially undervaluing their currency.

"The passage of today's bill is an important step forward in strengthening our trade enforcement efforts including, for the first time, strong enforcement tools to address currency manipulation in the price of products that are coming into America. Countries like China have been cheating regarding the value of their currency for years, and it's time they are held responsible. This bill will give the Administration important new tools they need to help crack down on countries that are breaking the rules, which will ensure our workers and businesses have a fair shot to compete and win in a global marketplace. The next critical step is to pass the Portman-Stabenow amendment that will create a clear negotiating objective to make sure that every trade agreement includes strong, enforceable currency manipulation language."

Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have offered a bipartisan amendment to Trade Promotion Authority, which will be considered on the Senate floor next week, and would add clear language to require that any future trade deals must include enforceable currency provisions. These provisions would ensure domestic producers can compete on a level playing field when they export their products to other countries.