On the recordJuly 21, 2010
I'm disappointed that I can't support this legislation. The Miscellaneous Tariff bill has long been a bipartisan effort that helps both American manufacturers and consumers obtain lower-cost access to products that aren't made in the United States. I appreciate the chairman following my statements so carefully and even quoting them to this House, because the process used to assemble this legislation is a model in transparency and accountability. It has been a longstanding process used by many Congresses under both Republican and Democrat control, and it should serve as an example of how similar legislation should be prepared. Every provision is first introduced as a separate bill. Each provision is vetted by the administration and by the U.S. ITC, the International Trade Commission, and is subject to public notice and comment. All information is posted on the committee Web site. And any provision receiving any opposition is removed from the final package. In my view, this bill technically does not contain earmarks in the form of limited tariff benefits. Each provision lowers duties on imports; and any company or entity or person that imports that product receives the benefit of those lower duties, not just those few that we can positively identify today.
