Grassley Says Changes to GSP Will Have to Happen to Get Both GSP, MTB Renewed
In a week, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will become the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, but he will retain a seat on the Finance Committee, and he said he'll still be working on trade issues in 2021. Grassley said that it would “be a lot easier” to pass legislation renewing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill than to renew the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, since Democrats have proposed numerous changes to GSP that would make eligibility more difficult for developing countries. “But I believe because the Democrats have tied them together, we won’t get it done until we get some compromise done with them on Generalized [System of] Preferences,” he told International Trade Today during a conference call with reporters Jan. 14.
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Grassley was also asked about the possibility of legislation to give Congress more of a say on Section 232. He said, “I thought it was going to be real easy to get a bipartisan solution” on 232 reform in 2019, but then faced division among Republicans and reluctance to negotiate from Democrats on the Finance Committee. He said he hopes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's interest in getting reforms will give the idea a boost. “I’ll be working closely with all those people who want to take a leadership role on it,” he said. Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio, both Republicans, were leaders on the legislation in the previous Congress, with Sen. John Warner, D-Va., co-sponsoring Toomey's bill and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., co-sponsoring Portman's.