H.R. 1743

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

To provide the President with authority to enter into a comprehensive trade agreement with the United Kingdom, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES · February 27, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Smith of Nebraska

Table of contents

• H.R. 1743
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Sense of Congress
  • SEC. 3. Negotiating and trade agreements authority for comprehensive agreement with the United Kingdom

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the or the .

SEC. 2. Sense of Congress

• It is the sense of Congress that—
  • the United States should pursue more open trade and investment relationships with its allies to strengthen the economy of the United States, improve the standard of living of the people of the United States, and advance the strategic interests of the United States;
  • agreements to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade and investment between the United States and its allies will foster mutually beneficial economic relationships that advance the economic interests of workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all sizes in the United States;
  • the shared values and long history of the between the United States and the United Kingdom present a unique opportunity to deepen the mutually beneficial economic and strategic relationship between those countries and further expand prosperity for the citizens of those countries; special relationship
  • a high-standard, comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom would help strengthen that relationship, improve the economic prospects of people in both countries, increase the resilience of critical supply chains, support collaboration in emerging technologies, and create export opportunities for businesses of all sizes;
  • the efforts of the United States-United Kingdom Trade and Investment Working Group and the bilateral negotiations initiated by President Donald Trump have laid groundwork toward a comprehensive trade agreement;
  • the United States-United Kingdom Dialogue on the Future of Atlantic Trade, initiated by President Joe Biden, along with the signing of the Atlantic Declaration for a Twenty-First Century U.S.-U.K. Economic Partnership, continues longstanding efforts to improve economic cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom;
  • the robust labor and environmental protections in the United Kingdom reduce the risk of regulatory arbitrage that undercuts workers and businesses in the United States;
  • Congress passed the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) with overwhelming bipartisan support, setting high standards in North America with respect to labor rights, the environment, intellectual property, non-market practices, and services, and those standards should inform future negotiations;
  • trade agreements with foreign trading partners that share the values and ambition of the United States offer an opportunity to build on the USMCA and set high international standards across many important policy areas;
  • any trade negotiations between the United States and the United Kingdom must honor the agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom signed on April 10, 1998 (commonly known as the ), and any trade agreement between those countries must advance peace, stability, and prosperity in Ireland and Northern Ireland; Good Friday Agreement
  • the United Kingdom, like many key trading partners of the United States, is actively negotiating for expanded access to foreign markets and the United States must likewise seek to advance its access to foreign markets to ensure that businesses, consumers, farmers, ranchers, and workers in the United States are not left behind; and
  • to effectively pursue comprehensive trade negotiations with the United Kingdom for purposes of a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, Congress must grant new negotiating authority to the President, which should—
    • enable the swift negotiation and passage through Congress of such an agreement; and
    • be narrowly tailored to provide clear direction to the executive branch of the United States Government.

SEC. 3. Negotiating and trade agreements authority for comprehensive agreement with the United Kingdom

• (a) Initiation of negotiations
  • Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, in order to enhance the economic well-being of the United States, the President shall seek to initiate negotiations with the United Kingdom regarding tariff and nontariff barriers affecting any industry, product, or service sector.
• (b) Authority for comprehensive trade agreement with the United Kingdom
  • (1) In general
    • To strengthen the economic competitiveness of the United States, the President may enter into a comprehensive trade agreement with the United Kingdom regarding tariff and nontariff barriers affecting trade between the United States and United Kingdom.
  • (2) Termination of authority
    • The authority under paragraph (1) terminates on March 1, 2029.
• (c) Modifications permitted
  • (1) In general
    • Subject to paragraph (2), the President may proclaim such modification or continuance of any existing duty, continuance of existing duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties as the President determines to be required or appropriate to carry out an agreement entered into under subsection (b).
  • (2) Limitations
    • (A) Modifications or additions to agreement
      • Substantial modifications to, or substantial additional provisions of, an agreement entered into after March 1, 2029, are not covered by the authority under paragraph (1).
    • (B) Amount of duty modification
      • No proclamation may be made under paragraph (1) that—
        • (i) reduces any rate of duty (other than a rate of duty that does not exceed 5 percent ad valorem on the date of the enactment of this Act) to a rate of duty that is less than 50 percent of the rate of such duty that applies on such date of enactment;
        • (ii) reduces the rate of duty below that applicable under the Uruguay Round Agreements (as defined in section 2(7) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act ()) or a successor agreement, on any import sensitive agricultural product; or 19 U.S.C. 3501
        • (iii) increases any rate of duty above the rate that applied on the date of the enactment of this Act.
• (d) Consultation with and notification to Congress
  • To ensure the alignment of the trade policy priorities of Congress with the content of any agreement under this section, the President shall consult with Congress before and throughout negotiations initiated under subsection (a) and shall notify Congress of the intention of the President to enter into an agreement under subsection (b) or to make a proclamation under subsection (c).
• (e) Bills qualifying for trade authorities procedures
  • (1) Implementing bills
    • (A) In general

• The provisions of section 151 of the Trade Act of 1974 () apply to a bill of either House of Congress that contains provisions described in subparagraph (B) to the same extent as such section 151 applies to implementing bills under that section. A bill to which this paragraph applies shall hereafter in this section be referred to as an . 19 U.S.C. 2191