Home

CITAC seeks to ensure American companies and millions of American workers that rely on open markets for their raw materials, components and finished products are adequately considered in trade policymaking. America's consuming industries suffer when the US government imposes trade restrictions that affect the availability of materials they need by causing supply shortages of raw materials, higher prices, or longer lead times. In many cases, the end result is simply an increase in imports of finished, or value-added, products from overseas.

CITAC represents, among others, farmers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, steel users, and energy suppliers. These industries employ more workers and have a greater positive impact on the US economy than the industries that advocate frequent use of trade restrictions to protect themselves against global competition.

To provide American consuming industries and millions of workers the consideration they deserve, CITAC has offered legislation that would make common-sense reforms to US trade laws (antidumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards (Section 201)). HR 2770, an act that ensures fairness to consumers, has two essential components:

• Bring consuming industries into the trade debate by making purchasers full parties to trade cases. At present, only US importers, foreign producers, US producers and labor unions may be full parties to trade remedy cases conducted by the International Trade Commission and/or the Department of Commerce. Trade remedy cases do not adequately consider the interests of, or the consequences for, consuming industries and therefore, may on balance harm the US economy.
  
  
• Give specific authorization for the Department of Commerce to exempt imports temporarily from antidumping and countervailing duties if they are not made in the United States or are in short supply. Under current law, a company that imports a product not made in the U.S. or only available in limited quantities, can only guarantee access to this product with the consent of the petitioner in an antidumping or countervailing duty case. The discretion to temporarily exempt imports should lie with the Department and CITAC recommends Commerce also have the authority to reinstate antidumping or countervailing duties at any time based on changing market conditions.

For more information on CITAC, please visit WWW.CITAC-TRADE.ORG.