The arguments on the substance — economic activity, jobs — won the day, as the House just passed H.R. 4380, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. The roll call vote is here.

The National Association of Manufacturers sent a Key Vote letter in support of the bill. Glad it helped!

The National Association of Manufacturers has sent a Key Vote letter to House members urging a yes vote on H.R. 4380, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. Excerpt:

The MTB is one of the most important short-term actions Congress can take to preserve and expand good American jobs, cut the costs of doing business in the United States and boost American manufacturing exports. U.S. manufacturers large and small use the MTB’s tariff suspension provisions to obtain raw materials, proprietary inputs and other products that are not available in our nation.

Without the MTB, the cost of these companies’ products will inevitably increase, forcing them to pass higher costs on to consumers and making their products less competitive. These higher costs translate into lost jobs for American workers.

The MTB process is wholly transparent and open to the public. Each proposed duty suspension is subject to a meticulous and non-partisan vetting process to ensure that no domestic producers of the affected product exist. The International Trade Commission, U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Management and Budget and the congressional committees of jurisdiction collaborate to review each proposed duty suspension.

Transparent, reviewed by the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch alike, and benefiting no one congressional district: The tariff suspensions are not earmarks under any usual understanding of the term.

The letter notes that a July 2009 study by the economist, Andrew Szamosszegi of Capital Trade, Inc. concluded that enactment of the tariff bill would increase U.S. production by $4.6 billion while supporting nearly 90,000 jobs.

Unfortunately, the bill has been placed on the House suspensions calendar, where a two-thirds vote is necessary for passage. Fortunately, the case for the bill is so strong that that margin is attainable.

The NAM uses Key Vote letters to determine a member of Congress’ voting record on manufacturing issues.

UPDATE (4 p.m.): Another sound argument for the MTB legislation from Daren Coppock, president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association, at the Hill’s Congress Blog, “Congress: Here’s a commonsense way to save jobs and fuel the economy.”

The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill is not a topic we see many editorials on, so extra points to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune  for tackling the issue’s its importance to the U.S. economy. From “Take job-friendly approach on tariffs: Miscellaneous Tariff Bill needed to help manufacturers.” The newspaper argues that the issues has become unnecessarily involved in the political debate over Congressional earmarks:

[The] nation’s political leaders need to hammer out a compromise quickly. With the economy still struggling to recover, lawmakers need to do everything they can to encourage economic growth and preserve key measures such as the MTB that have helped firms in Minnesota and across the nation stay competitive for years.

The Strib cites a  May 5 letter to Congress on the issue from John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers. Excerpt:

The MTB is one of the most important short-term actions that Congress can take to preserve and expand good American jobs, cut the cost of doing business in this country, boost American manufacturing competitiveness, and boost our manufacturing exports.

Another letter came from 130 companies affected by the MTB. Excerpt:

The last MTB, passed by Congress in 2006 has expired. As a result, manufacturers and businesses of all sizes across the country now face higher tariffs on inputs and other products not otherwise available in the United States. These higher costs translate to lost revenue and lower wages. In fact, the MTB has been estimated to support more than 90,000 U.S. jobs and $3.5 billion in GDP growth. The cost-saving achieved by the MTB allow U.S. manufacturers and businesses to maintain competitive operations, invest in new facilities, re-train workers, and preserve our manufacturing base. In short, the enactment of the MTB, including new duty suspensions that have been fully vetted, is vital to the U.S. economy.