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Congress Prepares to Move Forward with Farm Bill
If the Senate Agriculture Committee releases its version of the farm bill by this Wednesday as planned, it will be on track for a vote in mid-June.
Later in the month, the House of Representatives plans to hold its second vote on its version of the bill on Friday, June 22nd. This gives members of Congress time to review, revise, and negotiate the proposed legislation before its expiration date, September 30th. Some Republican representatives intend on getting the House to vote on the immigration bill first.
These disagreements on immigration along with Congress's Memorial Day recess have slightly delayed the plan to vote on the immigration bill as soon as possible.
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This Week in Washington
Raising Tariffs Leads to Retaliation
After the Trump administration decided to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Mexico, Canada, and the European Union, the three have made it clear that such action would not go unanswered. Mainly, Mexico will impose retaliatory tariffs on American pork and fruits, Canada will do the same for maple syrup, chocolate, condiments, aluminum, and household items, and the EU listed peanut butter, clothing, steel, and kitchen items as some of their taxed imports. Canada and the European Union have also recently brought this to the attention of the World Trade Organization, claiming the tariffs are illegal.
Nevertheless, all of this is meant to make up for the increased costs our long-time allies will face from the Trump administration's steel and aluminum tariffs. While farmers will be forced to deal with the consequences of his trade and tariff decisions, President Trump has made it clear that he will only accept what he calls a fair deal
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The current administration also announced it would continue with its goal to impose retaliatory tariffs on China for its trade practices regarding technology. China responded by notifying the U.S. of its intention to rescind recently proposed trade concessions should Trump's plan come to fruition.
Appropriations Bills Begin to Make Way to the House Floor
House and Senate Appropriators over the last couple of months have been busy crafting the FY 2019 appropriations bills. This week the full House will begin considering the annual spending bills by taking up a "mini-bus" package that contains the Energy & Water bill, the Military Construction & Veterans Affairs bill, and the Legislative Branch bill.
As NEMWI monitors the appropriations process, it will provide in-depth analysis on the appropriations bills that most directly impact the region. These reports will be available here as they are finalized.
Along with the FY 2019 Energy and Water appropriations bill, the House is also expected to take up H.R. 8,
the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDA, which Congress typically addresses in two-year cycles, provides authorization for a number of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiatives and other water infrastructure programs. The WRDA bill being considered this week does not include a provision included in the original bill that would provide for the full use of funds from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for harbor maintenance purposes.
Hearings and Markups of Interest
Tuesday
Wednesday
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a legislative hearing on the Onshore Energy Development Bills, at 2:00 p.m. in 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
Thursday
Friday
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution
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NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
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