[20180727]IN10940_美国农业部提议应对贸易报复的潜在WTO影响.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Potential WTO Implications of USDAs Proposed Response to Trade-Retaliation -name redacted- Specialist in Agricultural Policy July 27, 2018 On July 24, 2018, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be taking several actions to assist farmers in response to trade damage from what the Administration has characterized as “unjustified retaliation.” Specifically, the Secretary said that USDA would authorize up to $12 billion in programs under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act (See CRS Report R44606, The Commodity Credit Corporation: In Brief) to help agricultural producers meet the costs of disrupted markets. (See CRS Insight IN10880, Chinas Retaliatory Tariffs on Selected U.S. Agricultural Products.) Due to its price tag ($12 billion) and the uncertainty over how payments will be implemented, there is considerable interest from policymakers and market watchers about whether these payments will be fully compliant with World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. This Insight briefly discusses the WTO commitments that are relevant to U.