Trade lawmakers request second report on India’s practices

Congressional leaders are asking a federal agency to conduct a second investigation into India’s trade practices.

The top Democrats and Republicans on the trade policy committees sent a letter on Thursday to the International Trade Commission (ITC) asking for an updated report on the India’s trade policies that they argue discriminate against U.S. exports and investment.

{mosads}House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and ranking member Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), along with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and the panel’s top Republican, Orrin Hatch of Utah, sent the letter to ITC Chairman Meredith Broadbent.

“In particular, we request that you include information about any significant changes by the new Indian government to the trade and investment policies identified in the ITC’s first report,” they wrote.

The first report, requested last year, is due to Congress by Dec. 15 and will cover India’s policy track from 2003 through mid-2014.

Details of the second investigation would be due to Congress by Sept. 15, 2015.

“We expect that this new investigation will allow the Commission to meet with relevant Indian government officials in the new Bharatiya Janata Party-led government and seek additional information from U.S. firms on any developments in India relevant to the scope of matters identified in our original August 2013 request,” they wrote.

The request comes only four days before the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, where he will meet with President Obama and business leaders over a broad range of trade concerns including rising tariffs and stronger protections for intellectual property.