Blumenauer, Doggett Seek End to ‘Normal’ Trade Relations With Russia
WASHINGTON — Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., chairman of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, and Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, are urging their colleagues to support legislation ending permanent normal trade relations between the U.S. and Russia.
At the same time, Blumenauer and Doggett are also seeking to remove Russia from the World Trade Organization.
“In seeking multiple ways to respond to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, we should close every possible avenue for Russian participation in the world economy,” Doggett said in a written statement.
“As Putin undermines the stability carefully built since World War II, he and his oligarch pals should not benefit from the trading system created to ensure that stability and peace,” he said.
The legislation introduced by the two representatives would remove the most favored nation trade treatment for Russian imports by terminating the Permanent Normal Trade Relations agreement.
The two men also believe the U.S. should deny Russia previously granted WTO terms and seek to expel Russia from the WTO.
“The United States must use every tool at our disposal, short of armed conflict, to protect Ukraine’s independence,” Blumenauer said. “Putin’s unprovoked and unprecedented actions warrant a proportional response that includes terminating Permanent Normal Trading Relations and denying it WTO membership.
“Putin and his cronies should not be insulated from the consequences of their unjustified actions, and I intend to use my position as the chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade to ensure that,” he added.
Another voice calling for the end of Russia’s favored trading partner status with the U.S. is Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who negotiated the pact when he was U.S. Trade Representative during the George W. Bush administration.
Portman, current co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus, was among a group of senators who met Monday with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markova to discuss the situation in her home country.
Portman said that if the U.S. terminated the Permanent Normal Trade Relations agreement it would immediately raise tariffs on goods from Russia to the rates where they were before Russia joined the WTO and received its favored status.
“Free trade with the United States is a privilege, not a right,” Portman said. “Invading a sovereign nation, an independent democracy, no less, is certainly grounds to take that privilege away.”
During a pen-and-pad session with reporters on Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was asked whether he thought downgrading Russia’s trade status with the U.S. was worthy of consideration.
“I certainly think it’s worthy in the sense that we need to take every possible action we can to make this criminal behavior by the Russian military have very, very severe consequences,” Hoyer said.
“It’s my view that this [bill] is going to get prompt attention. And I’m certainly included to support any plan that imposes very adverse consequences for Russia’s criminal behavior,” he said.
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