USTR Kirk recently commented on President Obama's intent to enter into negotiations of a regional, Asia-Pacific trade agreement, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Kirk said that the U.S. will have to confront big challenges, from rationalizing rules of origin amongst current FTA partners to addressing agricultural, developmental, and labor challenges elsewhere, to adding additional countries in ways that ensure that the countries maintain a comprehensive, high standard agreement. (Press release, dated 12/15/09, available at http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/press-releases/2009/december/ustr-ron-kirk-remarks-trans-pacific-partnership-n)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a press release announcing that CPSC and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) have issued a voluntary recall to repair all Roman shades and roll-up blinds to prevent the risk of strangulation to young children.
President Obama has ordered the Federal Government to close for the last half of the work day on December 24, 2009, except to the extent that executive branch departments and agencies determine that certain offices and installations must remain open and that certain employees must remain on duty for the full scheduled workday, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need. (FR Pub 12/16/09, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-30020.htm)
According to multiple press reports, the next Acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar. Aguilar has over 30 years of border security experience and was appointed as Chief of the Border Patrol for CBP in 2004.
The White House has issued a press release announcing the issuance of an Executive Order on the half-day closing of all executive branch departments and agencies of the Federal Government (except as provided in the Executive Order) on December 24, 2009. (Press release, dated 12/11/09, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-half-day-closing-executive-departments-and-agencies-thursday-decemb.)
According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. international trade deficit decreased to $32.9 billion in October from $35.7 billion (revised) in September, as exports increased more than imports. (Press release, dated 12/10/09, available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/index.html.)
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry reminds the public that Japan will act as the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2010 Symposium to be held December 9-10, 2009 in Tokyo. Participants will conduct discussions on APEC free trade goals, regional economic integration, the concept of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), and strategies for prosperity in Asia-Pacific. (Press release, dated 11/27/09, available at http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/20091127_01.html)
Trade ministers concluded their World Trade Organization meeting, declaring that they want to try to conclude the Doha Round talks quickly and agreeing to extend existing "moratoriums" on electronic commerce and intellectual property. (The ministers extended their agreements to not charge import duties on electronic transmissions and to not bring "non-violation" IPR cases to the WTO dispute settlement process.) (News release, dated 12/02/09, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news09_e/mn09a_02dec09_e.htm)
On November 18, 2009, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions amended1, approved and ordered reported S. 510, the "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
Government sources indicate that there is "high confidence" that current ITDS funding - $22 million carried over from prior years plus the $6 million requested by the Administration for FY 2010 - will be sufficient to fund "basic functionality" for the International Trade Development System. Basic functionality includes collecting and storing data and making it available to the Participating Government Agencies. (Note that the 2009 ITDS Annual Report indicates that this basic functionality would not wait for ACE; the data would be collected using ABI and made available to PGAs through the ACE Data Warehouse.)