Cassidy Proposes Trade Cheating Legislation

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is co-sponsoring a bill designed to crack down on trade cheating.

Legislators say the Play By The Rules Act will hold China accountable for ignoring trade rules and harming American workers. US anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws are designed to stop trade partners from tipping the scales in their favor and forcing American workers to compete at a disadvantage.

The rules are widely used and mostly followed by World Trade Organization members. However, non-market economies—like China—are engaged in a sophisticated and government-backed effort to avoid paying the duties required by the rules.

The bill provides the Commerce Department additional flexibility when reviewing anti-circumvention petitions filed against non-market economies like China. The flexibility will allow the Commerce Department to better combat China’s attempts to cheat US workers and businesses.

Other sponsors of the legislation include Democrats Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan along with Republican Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia.