Pascrell, Ways and Means Democrats Demand Oversight from Majority

Democrats blast inexplicable refusal to apply bare transparency to Trump trade policies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, and five of his colleagues on the Committee on Ways and Means wrote a letter to Trade Subcommittee chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA-08) calling for answers on the committee’s refusal to hear testimony from Trump administration officials on the administration’s broader trade policies.

“For the second time in a week, we will gather this afternoon for a hearing on the Administration’s trade policies, without an Administration representative present,” the members write. “It is baffling to us that this hearing will take place without the participation of anyone from the agency that is administering the exclusion process.”

The letter was sent prior to today’s Trade Subcommittee hearing on the exclusion process for Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel.

“We cannot continue to pretend that this is business as usual.  The Administration owes answers to the Members of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee and, more importantly, to the American people about its trade policy goals and whether or not they are working,” the members conclude.

Failure to apply even bare transparency to the Trump administration’s trade policies has been a hallmark of the Ways and Means Committee this Congress. Tomorrow, Republican committee members are slated to meet with Peter Navarro, the Director of the White House National Trade Council and a top Trump trade adviser, in a private meeting. No Democrats have been invited to the gathering.

On July 11, Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA-01) led all 16 of the committee’s Democratic member writing to chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX-08) demanding that he call administration witnesses to testify and provide greater clarity on the Trump White House’s trade strategy and use of tariffs. Chairman Brady has yet to reply.

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