To Further Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition From Imports of Large Residential Washers

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]

[Presidential Documents]

[Pages 5125-5127]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2020-01650]

[[Page 5123]]

Vol. 85

Tuesday,

No. 18

January 28, 2020

Part III

The President

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Proclamation 9979--To Further Facilitate Positive Adjustment to

Competition From Imports of Large Residential Washers

Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 18 / Tuesday, January 28, 2020 /

Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--

The President

[[Page 5125]]

Proclamation 9979 of January 23, 2020

To Further Facilitate Positive Adjustment to

Competition From Imports of Large Residential Washers

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

1. On January 23, 2018, pursuant to section 203 of the

Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the ``Trade Act'') (19

U.S.C. 2253), I issued Proclamation 9694, which imposed

a safeguard measure for a period of 3 years plus 1 day

comprising both a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on imports of

large residential washers (washers) provided for in

subheadings 8450.11.00 and 8450.20.00 of the Harmonized

Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) and a TRQ on

covered washer parts provided for in subheadings

8450.90.20 and 8450.90.60 of the HTS. I exempted

covered imports from Canada and certain designated

beneficiary countries under the Generalized System of

Preferences from the application of the measure.

Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) and a TRQ on

covered washer parts provided for in subheadings

8450.90.20 and 8450.90.60 of the HTS. I exempted

covered imports from Canada and certain designated

beneficiary countries under the Generalized System of

Preferences from the application of the measure.

2. On August 7, 2019, the United States International

Trade Commission (USITC) issued its report pursuant to

section 204(a)(2) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C.

2254(a)(2)), on the results of its monitoring of

developments with respect to the domestic washers

industry (USITC, Large Residential Washers: Monitoring

Developments in the Domestic Industry, No. TA-204-013).

In its report, the USITC found that imports peaked in

November and December of 2017, just before the

safeguard measure was imposed, and again in February

and March of 2019, at the opening of the second TRQ

period. More recent data from U.S. Customs and Border

Protection indicate that the number of imported units

exceeded the 1.2-million-unit annual limit qualifying

for the in-quota rate well before the end of the year

in the first year of the measure and in less than 3

months in the second year of the measure.

period. More recent data from U.S. Customs and Border

Protection indicate that the number of imported units

exceeded the 1.2-million-unit annual limit qualifying

for the in-quota rate well before the end of the year

in the first year of the measure and in less than 3

months in the second year of the measure.

3. Section 204(b)(1)(B) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C.

2254(b)(1)(B)) authorizes the President, upon petition

of the majority of the representatives of the domestic

industry, to reduce, modify, or terminate an action

taken under section 203 of the Trade Act when the

President determines that the domestic industry has

made a positive adjustment to import competition.

4. After taking into account the information provided

in the USITC's report, and after receiving a petition

from the representative of the majority of the domestic

industry, I have determined that the domestic industry

has begun to make positive adjustment to import

competition but that, despite that adjustment,

increased imports of washers at peak times of the year

have impaired the effectiveness of the action I

proclaimed in 2018 under section 203 of the Trade Act,

and modification of the action is warranted.

has begun to make positive adjustment to import

competition but that, despite that adjustment,

increased imports of washers at peak times of the year

have impaired the effectiveness of the action I

proclaimed in 2018 under section 203 of the Trade Act,

and modification of the action is warranted.

5. Section 204(b)(2) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C.

2254(b)(2)) also authorizes the President to take such

additional action under section 203 of the Trade Act as

may be necessary to eliminate any circumvention of any

action previously taken under such section. Pursuant to

section 203(a)(3)(B) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C.

2253(a)(3)(B)), the President may proclaim a TRQ on the

imported article.

6. I have further determined that additional action is

necessary to eliminate circumvention of the TRQ by

ensuring that within-quota quantities of imports of

washers are spread throughout the year, thus

eliminating the possibility

[[Page 5126]]

that importers' concentration of imports of washers in

a limited period would distort the quantity of washers

in the U.S. market and undermine the positive effect of

the TRQ on the domestic industry's adjustment to import

competition. Accordingly, I have decided to allocate,

on a quarterly basis, within-quota quantities of 1.2

million washers during the third year of the action,

beginning February 7, 2020.

in the U.S. market and undermine the positive effect of

the TRQ on the domestic industry's adjustment to import

competition. Accordingly, I have decided to allocate,

on a quarterly basis, within-quota quantities of 1.2

million washers during the third year of the action,

beginning February 7, 2020.

7. Section 604 of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2483)

authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the

substance of the relevant provisions of that Act, and

of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions

thereunder, including the removal, modification,

continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or other

import restriction.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the

United States of America, acting under the authority

vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the

United States, including but not limited to sections

203, 204, and 604 of the Trade Act, do proclaim that:

(1) In order to modify the quantitative limitations

applicable to imports of washers under HTS subheadings

8450.11.00 and 8450.20.00, by allocating the within-

quota quantities for the third quota year on a

quarterly basis, subchapter III of chapter 99 of the

HTS is modified as set forth in the Annex to this

proclamation.

(2) Any provision of previous proclamations and

Executive Orders that is inconsistent with the actions

taken in this proclamation is superseded to the extent

of such inconsistency.

arterly basis, subchapter III of chapter 99 of the

HTS is modified as set forth in the Annex to this

proclamation.

(2) Any provision of previous proclamations and

Executive Orders that is inconsistent with the actions

taken in this proclamation is superseded to the extent

of such inconsistency.

(3) The modifications to the HTS made by this

proclamation, including the Annex hereto, shall be

effective with respect to goods entered for

consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for

consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern standard

time on February 7, 2020, and shall continue in effect

as provided in the Annex to this proclamation, unless

such actions are earlier expressly reduced, modified,

or terminated. One year from the termination of the

safeguard measure established in this proclamation, the

U.S. note and tariff provisions established in the

Annex to this proclamation shall be deleted from the

HTS.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord

two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the

United States of America the two hundred and forty-

fourth.

(Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3295-F0-P

[[Page 5127]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD28JA20.036

[FR Doc. 2020-01650

Filed 1-27-20; 11:15 a.m.]

Billing code 7020-02-C