The House now must pass the new version of the legislation before it goes to President Trump for approval.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a version of the miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB), separate from the House version that passed in January.
The House now must pass the new version of the legislation before it goes to President Donald Trump for signature.
Broadly speaking, the legislation would amend the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule to provide duty suspensions and reductions for specified
chemicals and other items through Dec. 31, 2020.
An amendment to the Senate legislation adopted by unanimous consent Thursday removed language that would have eliminated or reduced tariffs on electric commercial vehicles, cabs and bodies for electric vehicles, collapsible insulated food and beverage bags, rotary hand-cutting tools, full tang knives, propagaryl butycarbamate and esfenvalerate.
The Senate bill also expands descriptions of certain types of footwear included in the originally passed House legislation to distinguish between similar products that would not be covered by tariff reductions, according to a Senate Finance Committee spokesperson.
The House is on recess set to end in September. The House passed the original bill by a vote of 402-0 on Jan. 16.
National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons in a statement urged the House to quickly pass the amended version of H.R. 4318.
“Right now, manufacturers are hit with costly, senseless taxes any time they buy products or supplies that aren’t available in the United States,” Timmons said in a statement. “It makes no sense because it is a direct and punishing tax on making things in America and for creating jobs in America. This bill ends that unfairness and helps manufacturers in the United States better compete for business with companies in China, Europe and elsewhere.”
The last batch of tariff reductions under an MTB expired at the end of 2012.
Former President Barack Obama in 2016 signed the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act into law, establishing a new process for businesses wishing to obtain MTB benefits.
Under the process, companies petition the International Trade Commission, after which the ITC determines whether the petitions meet the requirements of that statute, including that no domestic producers of like products object to proposed tariff reductions or suspensions. The ITC then submits its recommendations to Congress for final approval before any presidential signature into law.
Manufacturers hail passage of Senate tariff bill
