WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Manufacturers announced in a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives that it will key-vote House passage of H.R. 4318, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) Act of 2017.

“The MTB corrects, on a temporary basis, distortions in the U.S. tariff code by eliminating duties on imported products for which there is no or insufficient domestic production and availability. Such distortions undermine the competitiveness of manufacturers in the United States by imposing unnecessary costs,” NAM Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Relations Aric Newhouse wrote in a letter to House members announcing the key vote.

“While Congress had effectively addressed such distortions through the enactment of MTB legislation with strong bipartisan support for three decades, Congress has not passed an MTB since the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act in 2010 expired at the end of 2012. Since 2012, businesses have paid billions of dollars of tariffs on products not even made in the United States, to the detriment of good-paying American jobs and American competitiveness,” added Newhouse. “The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill of 2017 will correct this problem and improve the competitiveness of manufacturers across America, particularly small and medium-sized manufacturers. The NAM estimates that this legislation would eliminate import tariffs of more than $1.1 billion over the next three years and boost U.S. manufacturing output by more than $3.1 billion.”

Last month, the NAM welcomed the bipartisan, bicameral introduction of this legislation and led a letter of more than 190 business organizations urging Congress to boost manufacturing by passing the MTB. Click here for testimonials from manufacturers in America on the importance of passing the MTB.