Businesses, Associations Urge End to ETI Bill Conference

Earlier this year both the House and Senate passed different versions of legislation that would both enable the United States to comply with our WTO obligations and help improve the competitive position of U.S. businesses. It is imperative that Congress act as soon as possible to reconcile these two bills and send final legislation to the President.

The E.U.'s retaliatory tariff now stands at 11 percent on as much as $4 billion per year of American products. Further Congressional delay will ultimately result in tariffs of 17 percent. Affected products range from jewelry, agriculture, wood products, toys, textile, apparel and footwear products to refrigeration equipment, iron and steel products, construction equipment, industrial trucks, and paper products. Workers in these areas are not the only ones negatively impacted by the failure of Congress to act. Exports also support jobs in other parts of the economy including wholesaling, transportation, finance, and the service sector. These retaliatory tariffs continue to hurt U.S. exports to Europe and negatively impact jobs of American workers.

Resolving the FSC/ETI export tax issue before the election is essential to both our businesses' bottom line and our workers' jobs. Thank you in advance for doing your part to send a FSC/ETI bill to the President's desk without delay, thus minimizing the economically devastating trade sanctions on U.S. products and their impact on the American workers who produce them.

Sincerely,