House Ways and Means Committee Passes Bill That Would Eliminate Byrd Amendment
The House Ways and Means Committee has approved repeal of the Byrd amendment on distribution of antidumping duties. By a vote of 22-17, the House Ways and Means Committee on October 26, 2005 forwarded a package of recommendations for reducing "wasteful and unnecessary administrative spending," including repeal of the Byrd amendment, to the House Budget Committee, which is drafting a larger package for consideration by the House of Representatives intended to reduce the federal government budget deficit.
The Bush administration has long requested repeal of the Byrd amendment, but opposition to its repeal remains strong in Congress, especially in the Senate. Repeal would require passage of the legislation by the full House and Senate and signature by the president.
House Republican leaders have indicated they intend to vote in November on the package of measures to reduce the budget deficit including Byrd amendment repeal. The companion Senate package does not include the repeal and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a strong supporter of repeal, has said that the outcome is uncertain given Senator Byrd's influence in the Senate.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
