Sen. Grassley (R-IA)

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Committee on Finance, and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), ranking member, with 68 colleagues, have a sent a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN), and other Republican and Democratic Senate leaders, urging final consideration and passage of the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004. The bill (H.R. 1047) contains the list of products including certain wools from India (fine animal hair of Kashmir goats), textiles including certain cotton fabrics, numerous chemicals, tariffs, and a host of other trade issues.

Sen. Baucus (D-MT)

The senators hope for final passage before the 108th Congress ends as expected at the end of this week, but the Congress is caught up in passing the omnibus spending bill to keep government running, and to increase the already high debt-limit.

“This bill contains dozens of trade provisions, primarily duty suspensions, reductions and extensions, for products that aren’t produced domestically,” Grassley said, adding, “The bill supports American factories and workers by allowing manufacturers to save money when they import these products. We should be doing all we can to help American manufacturing compete, and that’s what this legislation does.”

Senator Baucus said, “Senator Grassley and I have worked hard over the last several years to complete work on this important legislation. This bill helps hundreds of companies across the country... It’s important that the Senate complete work on this bill –– but also that we continue the tradition of completing a Miscellaneous Trade Bill.”