Congress

An amendment to a must-pass defense bill that would prevent the Trump administration from lifting sanctions on Chinese telecom giant ZTE may lead to a battle in Congress after the White House signaled opposition to it this week.

Proponents of the Export-Import Bank in the Senate say they are heartened by President Trump’s move to tap Kimberly Reed to lead the agency, but critics say she must commit to reforming the bank to win their support.

The Wall Street Journal writes that Kimberly Reed – nominated last year to serve as first vice president of the bank's board – will “soon” be tapped for the top slot.

The White House on Wednesday issued a soft warning to Congress against an amendment to a defense bill that would re-impose potentially fatal penalties on Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE and undo a less severe deal it agreed to with the Trump administration earlier this month.

“In our view, India, like China and other countries, is abusing WTO rules by unilaterally retaliating without authorization, and we urge you to confront such abuses.”

Members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday questioned nominees for key trade posts on how they would try to ensure due process is followed in Section 232 investigations and probed whether the U.S. is adequately prepared for retaliation.

Scalise: “When there are negotiations going on, everyone is trying to get leverage, so people get a little heated. What the end result is should be our main concern.”

Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Dean Heller (R-NV) last week introduced legislation that would roll back safeguard duties on solar products in an attempt to shore up an industry that they say has been stifled by President Trump's restrictions.