International Trade Law News

By a vote of 60 to 39, the U.S. Senate today rejected an amendment to H.R. 2862, the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006, submitted by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) that would have prohibited funding for U.S. trade negotiators to enter into any agreement that would modify a number of U.S. trade laws, including antidumping laws and countervailing duty laws. The Dorgan amendment was strongly opposed by the Bush administration and business interests. The Senate voted 99-0 for an alternative proposal by Senator Grassley (R-IA) that was milder than the Dorgan amendment. The Grassley Amendment provides that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by H.R. 2862 may be used "in a manner that is inconsistent with the principle negotiating objective of the United States with respect to trade remedy laws."