President's 2013 Budget Proposal Has More Money for Trade Enforcement, Promotion (02/15/12)
President Obama released this week his budget proposal for fiscal year 2013, which begins Oct. 1, 2012. Among the trade-related items of note in the proposal are the following.
Trade Enforcement. The president wants to add $26 million to fund the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center he announced in his Jan. 24 State of the Union address. This figure includes $24 million for the International Trade Administration and $2 million for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the only budget increase proposed for that agency. The ITEC will “represent a new whole-of-government approach to addressing unfair trade practices and will serve as the primary forum within the federal government for executive departments and agencies to coordinate their enforcement of international and domestic trade rules,” said Acting Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank. More details about the ITEC, which is ultimately expected to comprise 50-60 staff members, are anticipated in the coming weeks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security would see its budget rise from $101 million to $102.3 million, with $6 million specifically set aside for activities under the Export Control Reform Initiative, including an anticipated increase in processing license applications resulting from the transfer of items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List.
Trade Promotion. About $30 million would go to the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service to place officers and local staff in high-growth markets such as China, India and Brazil, where they would assist U.S. exporters. Another $12.2 million would support implementation of the SelectUSA program, which promotes foreign direct investment in the United States.
The International Trade Administration would also get $18.1 million to develop the next generation of Export.gov, which will integrate into a single Web platform all export-related content and contacts across the 20 federal Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee agencies.
© 2011, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Originally published in ST&R’s WorldTradeInteractive.
Reprinted by permission.
Trade Enforcement. The president wants to add $26 million to fund the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center he announced in his Jan. 24 State of the Union address. This figure includes $24 million for the International Trade Administration and $2 million for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the only budget increase proposed for that agency. The ITEC will “represent a new whole-of-government approach to addressing unfair trade practices and will serve as the primary forum within the federal government for executive departments and agencies to coordinate their enforcement of international and domestic trade rules,” said Acting Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank. More details about the ITEC, which is ultimately expected to comprise 50-60 staff members, are anticipated in the coming weeks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security would see its budget rise from $101 million to $102.3 million, with $6 million specifically set aside for activities under the Export Control Reform Initiative, including an anticipated increase in processing license applications resulting from the transfer of items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List.
Trade Promotion. About $30 million would go to the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service to place officers and local staff in high-growth markets such as China, India and Brazil, where they would assist U.S. exporters. Another $12.2 million would support implementation of the SelectUSA program, which promotes foreign direct investment in the United States.
The International Trade Administration would also get $18.1 million to develop the next generation of Export.gov, which will integrate into a single Web platform all export-related content and contacts across the 20 federal Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee agencies.
© 2011, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Originally published in ST&R’s WorldTradeInteractive.
Reprinted by permission.
