Senator Johnny Isakson is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and his office issued the following today:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Contact: Amanda Maddox, 202-224-7777
Marie Gordon, 770-661-0999
Isakson Applauds Committee Action to Extend African Growth and Opportunity Act
Committee approves Isakson amendment to hold South Africa accountable for blocking U.S. poultry imports
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised committee passage of legislation that will strengthen U.S. trade
ties with Africa while protecting American businesses and workers, including the Georgia poultry industry.
The reauthorization of the African
Growth and Opportunity Act, known as AGOA, was approved by the Senate
Finance Committee, on which Isakson serves, earlier today. The bill
renews AGOA, a trade agreement
between the United States and sub-Saharan African countries, for 10
years.
“This legislation will be a boon to both American businesses and workers and African countries,”
Isakson said.
“Since the original passage of AGOA, we have seen how it has helped
sub-Saharan economies grow. This growth is not only good for Africa, but
for the United States as well. By strengthening the United States’ role
in trade negotiations, the reauthorization
of AGOA will open up new markets for American imports. This legislation
supports American and African economies: a win-win.”
The legislation included language
introduced by Isakson and co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and
Mark Warner, D-Va., that would put pressure on South Africa to remove
unfair limits on American
poultry imports. The bipartisan amendment would require the president
conduct an out-of-cycle review of South Africa within 30 days of
enactment of AGOA.
“I am also glad this legislation
contains provisions that would allow the U.S. Trade Representative to be
responsive and flexible in its approach to addressing areas of concern
by conducting out-of-cycle
reviews and when necessary, having the authority to suspend, limit or
withdraw benefits for any beneficiary country not in eligibility
compliance,” said Isakson.
“I believe passionately in AGOA’s value and support its long-term
renewal, but I believe it unfair and inappropriate that the country that
benefits from the law the most – South Africa – continues to maintain
unreasonable tariffs on American poultry.”
View Isakson’s remarks from today’s Finance Committee mark-up discussing his amendment
here.
Under the current law, the U.S.
government’s only option for punishing an African country that fails to
live up to the trade standards outlined in AGOA is the complete
termination of benefits for that
country. The reauthorization legislation for AGOA passed today gives
the United States the option to selectively limit or temporarily suspend
benefits without having to terminate them completely. This gives the
United States the upper hand in trade negotiations,
further protecting American businesses.
Shortly after the enactment of AGOA in
2000, South Africa began imposing antidumping duties on U.S. poultry
products, effectively banning American chicken imports. The duties are
based on a pricing
system that values all parts of the chicken the same, which is neither
accurate nor commonly accepted.
Isakson and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.,
are the co-chairs of the Senate Chicken Caucus. Both their states have
large poultry industries and are big exporters of poultry. The poultry
industry annually
contributes over $15.1 billion to the Georgia economy, including
farmers, processing, and allied industries.
On March 31, 2015,
13 senators wrote to the South African
government to express their
concern about the lack of progress being made in negotiations between
the South African and American poultry industries.
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veterans
