Friday, June 26, 2020

Not walking out of the WTO anytime soon?

I had blogged about legislative moves in the US to walk out of the WTO here. Latest reports suggest that this may not actually happen immediately now.

Section 125 of the Uruguay Rounds Agreements Acts passed in 1994 in the US specifically provides for a procedure to be followed to review US participation in the WTO. A joint resolution of the 2 Houses of the US Congress can result in the US withdrawing from the WTO.

Section 125(b)(1) states that the approval of the Congress, provided under section 101(a), of the WTO Agreement shall cease to be effective if, and only if, a joint resolution described in subsection (c) is enacted into law pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2).

Section 125(c) of the Act enumerates the procedure that a joint resolution would have to undergo for the US to withdraw from the WTO.

The Rules for conduct of business of the 116 Congress states in point 37 as follows:

"Provides that the provisions of section 125(c) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act shall not apply during the remainder of the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress."

So, next session may be?

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