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1 [1] (May 12, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/cgnlrwusmp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Cogesoa Resarc Seric May 12, 2025 Congressional Review of U.S. Membership in the WTO The United States was a key architect of the multilateral trading system, as a founding member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 and its successor, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. The United States, many European countries, and other market economies led the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, which resulted in the establishment of the WTO and several trade agreements that built on GATT commitments. The WTO currently has 166 members, including the United States. More than 60% of U.S. goods and services trade is with countries that do not have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States; this trade relies solely on the rules and terms of trade set by the WTO. Many experts credit the WTO with helping to lower trade barriers globally, support economic growth, and manage trade frictions. At the same time, the institution faces challenges, which have become particularly salient since 2001. Some WTO members and experts contend that the WTO is losing relevance due to members' inability to reach consensus and negotiate a new round of major trade liberalization and rules since 1994. Countries instead have been resorting to unilateral trade measures that some allege violate the letter and spirit of WTO rules and have strained the global trading system. Further, trade frictions have heightened at a time when the WTO dispute settlement (DS) process is no longer fully functioning. WTO members continue to negotiate on key issues and debate reforms in attempts to improve and safeguard the organization. Congress has recognized the WTO as the foundation of the global trading system in statute (P.L. 114-26). Congress enacted the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA, P.L. 103-465) to approve and implement the agreement establishing the WTO and several trade agreements covering agricultural trade, services, investment measures, and intellectual property (IP). The URAA permits periodic congressional review of U.S. participation in the WTO and sets procedures for consideration of a privileged joint resolution to withdraw congressional approval of the WTO agreements (i.e., a disapproval resolution). If the 119th Congress chooses to invoke URAA procedures in 2025, Members may examine the merits and demerits of U.S. membership in the WTO. This In Focus provides an overview of the URAA legislative procedure, congressional activity, and WTO debates and issues facing Congress. Legislative Procedure under URAA §125 Since 1995, Section 125 of the URAA has allowed any Member to introduce every five years a privileged joint resolution proposing to withdraw approval of the WTO agreements. The House Ways and Means Committee explained in H.Rept. 103-826 that §125 was to provide an opportunity for Congress to evaluate the transition of the GATT to the WTO and to assess periodically whether continued membership in this organization is in the best interest of the United States. It is the desire of the Committee not to leave this decision totally in the hands of the Executive Branch but to be active in determining whether the WTO is an effective organization.... Ahead of such joint resolutions, URAA §§124-125 requires that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) submit a report to Congress analyzing the effects of the WTO Agreement on the interests of the United States, the costs and benefits to the United States of its participation in the WTO, and the value of the continued participation of the United States. House and Senate consideration of a disapproval resolution is governed by expedited parliamentary procedures contained in §125 of the URAA and §152 of the Trade Act of 1974. These procedures are designed to ensure that Congress can choose to pass the joint resolution and present it to the President before the end of a 90-day period that began on the day Congress received the USTR report. Joint resolutions can be submitted in either chamber at any time during the 90-day period and are referred to the House Ways and Means or Senate Finance Committees. A committee must report the referred measure by the close of the 45th day after introduction or be automatically discharged of its further consideration. Resolutions may be called up on the floor of each chamber by non-debatable motion (two legislative days' notice required in the House). A joint resolution is debatable for up to 20 hours and is unamendable. A motion to recommit is not permitted. In the case of a presidential veto, an override must occur by the later of the end of the 90-day period or by the close of a 15- day period that begins when Congress receives the veto message. The time periods exclude periods of adjournment taken by concurrent resolution and weekends when either chamber is not in session. In the Senate, the non-debatable motion to take up a resolution, coupled with the limits on amendment and debate, mean that a numerical majority in that chamber could take up and agree to a joint resolution without a cloture process and its supermajority requirement. These provisions are considered to be rules of the House and Senate, respectively, and can be altered or overridden by a special rule in the House, suspension of the rules, or unanimous consent. Congressional Activity This year, Congress formally received the URAA-mandated USTR report on March 21, 2025. A WTO disapproval resolution (H.J.Res 93) was introduced in the House on April 10. Members last voted on such resolutions in the igross.gov

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