Rep. Smucker supports legislation addressing restitution from China trade cheating

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) helped introduce bipartisan legislation Tuesday that would distribute Chinese duties collected by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

The legislation, the China Trade Cheating Restitution Act, would require CBP to distribute anti-dumping duties the agency collected between 2000 and 2014 to U.S. mushroom, garlic, honey and crawfish producers.

“US canned mushrooms producers, like Hanover Foods, were hit hard by unfairly priced Chinese imports. Now, thanks to the efforts of Congressman Smucker we finally have a real opportunity to get the funds we are entitled to from US Customs and Border Protection to reinvest and rebuild. Hanover greatly appreciates his efforts on behalf of the company and our employees in Pennsylvania,” said Gary Knisely, board member and retired EVP for Hanover Foods, an agricultural producer with plants in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Guatemala.

Under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (CDSOA), CBP was supposed to provide restitution of approximately $40 million to those industries that have suffered for years because of Chinese dumping practices, legislators said. However, CBP kept the money. The China Trade Cheating Restitution Act seeks to amend the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 to ensure that money is distributed, with interest.

“It is no surprise that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in deceptive and unfair trade practices for years, including efforts to undercut key American agricultural industries,” Smucker said. “Efforts to rein in the CCP’s abuses resulted in the collection of anti-dumping duties since 2000, unfortunately much of those funds have yet to be paid to impacted companies by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. These funds will allow American companies to reinvest, creating jobs and opportunity in Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District and across the nation.”

The legislation’s chief sponsor was U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who was joined by Smucker, David Valadao (R-CA), and Jim Costa (D-CA). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Jon Tester (D-MN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and John Thune (R-SD).