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NAFTA Renegotiation and Modernization

Description: This report provides a brief overview of NAFTA and the role of Congress in the renegotiation process; it discusses key issues related to the negotiations. It also provides a discussion of policy implications for Congress going forward.
Date: July 26, 2018
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles & Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Shining a Light on the Solar Trade: Investigation Leads to Tariffs on Solar-Related Imports (Part 1)

Description: This report is part one of a report discussing the implementation of a tariff-rate quota on solar-energy related imports for four years beginning February 7, 2018. The announcement was triggered by the results of a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) investigation into potential harm to U.S. industries from the importation of solar-panel related parts. The process of an ITC investigation is described in this part of the the report.
Date: January 26, 2018
Creator: Lewis, Caitlain Devereaux
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Shining a Light on the Solar Trade: Investigation Leads to Tariffs on Solar-Related Imports (Part 2)

Description: This report is part two of a report discussing the implementation of a tariff-rate quota on solar-energy related imports for four years beginning February 7, 2018. The announcement was triggered by the results of a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) investigation into potential harm to U.S. industries from the importation of solar-panel related parts. This section of the report discusses the background of the investigation and various options the ITC suggested as a remedy to their findin… more
Date: January 26, 2018
Creator: Lewis, Caitlain Devereaux
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Trade in Services: Trends and Policy Issues

Description: This report provides background information and analysis on U.S. international trade in services, including the types and volumes of traded services. It analyzes policy issues before the United States, especially relating to negotiating international disciplines on trade in services and the complexities in measuring trade in services. The report also examines emerging issues and current and potential trade agreements, including renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), t… more
Date: January 26, 2018
Creator: Fefer, Rachel F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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When is Running Guns from the Philippines to Mexico a Federal Crime?

Description: This report discusses the case "United States v. Ubaldo" which concerns whether a gun smuggler who smuggled guns from a foreign country through the United States and then into another foreign country can be charged with a federal crime. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction for conspiracy and causing the importation of weapons in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and ban on importing military firearms.
Date: June 26, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): What Actions Do Not Require Congressional Approval?

Description: This report briefly addresses questions about the extent to which the executive branch may unilaterally renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and implement amendments to the agreement in domestic law without further action from Congress.
Date: January 26, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Export-Import Bank Reauthorization: Frequently Asked Questions

Description: This report addresses frequently asked questions about Ex-Im Bank, grouped in the following categories: congressional interest and the Ex-Im Bank reauthorization debate; market context; international context; organizational structure and management; programs; statutory requirements and policies; risk management; budget and appropriations; implications of a sunset in authority; and historical and current approaches to reauthorization.
Date: November 26, 2014
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias; Carpenter, David H.; Levit, Mindy R. & Taylor, Julia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dark Pools in Equity Trading: Policy Concerns and Recent Developments

Description: This report examines the confluence of factors that led to the rise of dark pools; the potential benefits and costs of such trading; some regulatory and congressional concerns over dark pools; recent regulatory developments by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which oversees broker-dealers; and some recent lawsuits and enforcement actions garnering significant media attention.
Date: September 26, 2014
Creator: Shorter, Gary & Miller, Rena S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers

Description: This report discusses the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program for firms (TAAF). The TAAF program provides technical assistance to trade-affected firms to help them develop strategies and make other adjustments to remain competitive in the changing international economy.
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: Jurenas, Remy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Free Trade Agreements: Impact on U.S. Trade and Implications for U.S. Trade Policy

Description: This report looks at how free trade areas (FTAs) affect U.S. trade policy, specifically tariffs. It looks closely at the Bush Administration's Trade Promotion Policy, and pending FTAs leftover from this administration. Additionally, it looks at the Obama Administration's work in the prospective Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Date: February 26, 2014
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

Description: This report gives a brief overview of P.L. 110-49, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. Although both the President and Congress are directly involved in formulating the scope and direction of U.S. foreign investment policy, this law broadens Congress' oversight role; it also explicitly includes the areas of homeland security and critical infrastructure as separately-identifiable components of national security that the President must consider when evaluating the national s… more
Date: September 26, 2012
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Jackson-Vanik Amendment and Candidate Countries for WTO Accession: Issues for Congress

Description: This report gives an analysis of the unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) status, or in U.S. statutory parlance, normal trade relations (NTR) status, which is a fundamental principle of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This conflicts with the U.S. laws under Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 that limits trade status with several nations undergoing accession into the WTO. On June 12, 2012, Sen. Max Baucus introduced a bill with bipartisan co-sponsorship to authorize PNTR for Russia. The re… more
Date: July 26, 2012
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran Sanctions

Description: The objective of sanctions may be on its way to achievement but has not been accomplished to date. U.S. officials believe that these sanctions caused Iran to return to the nuclear bargaining table in April 2012 with greater seriousness and intent toward peaceful resolution. Despite the imposition of what many now consider to be "crippling" sanctions, some in Congress believe that economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran needs to increase further and faster. In the 112th Congress, legislation wo… more
Date: April 26, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade Preferences for Developing Countries and the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Description: This report discusses the trade preferences and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) most-favored-nation (MFN) requirements, World Trade Organization (WTO) waivers for preferential trade agreements, and WTO waivers for U.S. preference programs.
Date: October 26, 2011
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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EU-U.S. Economic Ties: Framework, Scope, and Magnitude

Description: This report provides background information and analysis of the U.S.-EU economic relationship for Members of the 111th Congress as they contemplate the costs and benefits of closer U.S. economic ties with the EU. It examines the economic and political framework of the relationship and the scope and magnitude of the ties based on data from various sources. In addition, the report analyzes the implications these factors have for U.S. economic policy toward the EU. The report will be revised as ev… more
Date: July 26, 2010
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts

Description: The U.S. trade deficit was shrinking through June 2009 because of the global financial crisis but has begun to increase again. The crisis caused U.S. imports to drop faster than U.S. exports. The global simultaneous recession, however, implies that exporting countries cannot rely on increased foreign demand to make up for slack demand at home. Even though U.S. imports are down considerably from 2008, companies competing with imports still face diminishing demand as the domestic economy has been… more
Date: May 26, 2010
Creator: Nanto, Dick K. & Donnelly, J. Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement: Effects After Five Years

Description: This report provides an overview of the major trade and economic effects of the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) (P.L. 108-78), from the time that it went into effect (January 1, 2004) over the three years ending in 2006. It also includes detailed information on key provisions of the agreement and legislative action.
Date: March 26, 2010
Creator: Nanto, Dick K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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International Law and Agreements: Their Effect Upon U.S. Law

Description: This report provides an introduction to the roles that international law and agreements play in the United States. International law is derived from two primary sources--international agreements and customary practice. Under the U.S. legal system, international agreements can be entered into by means of a treaty or an executive agreement. The Constitution allocates primary responsibility for entering into such agreements to the executive branch, but Congress also plays an essential role.
Date: January 26, 2010
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Global Economic Downturn and Protectionism

Description: This report develops three scenarios to approximate different dimensions of the relationship between the global economic downturn and protectionism. The scenarios are not predictions, but descriptions of how and why pressures for protection could be manifested and transmitted under different circumstances and assumptions.
Date: August 26, 2009
Creator: Ahearn, Raymond J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trade in the U.S. Gulf Region: Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Beyond

Description: This report examines trade entering and leaving the United States through the Gulf of Mexico and its 16 major ports - a region extending from southern Florida to southern Texas. It is designed as a tool for planning or reaction in the 109th Congress, 2nd session, as Congress continues to deal with the hurricanes' aftermath; and as a resource to help quickly identify some of the potential trade effects of any other natural or man-made disaster that might strike the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Date: January 26, 2006
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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