Trade-Related Agencies: FY2021 Appropriations, Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies (CJS)

September 3, 2020 R46512

Trade-Related Agencies: FY2021
September 3, 2020
Appropriations, Commerce, Science, Justice
Keigh E. Hammond
and Related Agencies (CJS)
Senior Research Librarian

This report provides an overview of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget request and appropriations
M. Angeles Villarreal
for the International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. International Trade Commission
Specialist in International
(USITC), and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). These three trade-
Trade and Finance
related agencies are funded through the annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related

Agencies (CJS) appropriations. This report also reviews these trade agencies’ programs.

The Administration’s FY2021 Budget Request
The President submitted his budget request to Congress on February 10, 2020. For FY2021, the Administration requested a
total of $647.0 million in appropriations for the three CJS trade-related agencies. This request is 4.7% less (-$31.6 million)
than the FY2020 enacted level. The request includes the following for the three agencies:
 ITA: $474.4 million in direct appropriations, 7.0% less than the FY2020 enacted amount.
 USITC: $99.6 million, 0.2% more than the FY2020 enacted amount.
 USTR: a total of $73.0 million, 5.8% more than the FY2020 enacted amount.

Congressional Actions
The House Committee on Appropriations reported its FY2021 CJS appropriations proposal (H.R. 7667) on July 16, 2020.
The CJS proposal was incorporated into a consolidated appropriations bill (H.R. 7617) which passed the House on July 31,
2020. The House-passed bill would provide $706.4 million for the three CJS trade-related agencies, which is 4.1% ($27.8
million) more than the FY2020-enacted funding, and 9.2% ($59.4 million) more than the President’s FY2021 budget request.
The House recommends the following for the three agencies:
 ITA: $531.4 million in direct appropriations, 4.2% more than FY2020 enacted level, and 12.0% more than
the Administration’s request.
 USITC: $105.0 million, 5.6% more than the FY2020 enacted level, and 5.4% more than the President’s
budget request.
 USTR: a total of $70.0 million, 1.4% more than the FY2020 enacted level, and 4.1% less than the
Administration’s request.

The Senate has not yet reported a CJS proposal.

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Background
The International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC),
and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are funded through the annual
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations.1 This report provides an
overview of these agencies’ programs and a comparison of the FY2021 CJS proposals with the
previous year’s enacted legislation.2 In this report, appropriations are rounded to the nearest
million. However, percentage changes and annual differences are calculated using whole, not
rounded, numbers, meaning that in some instances totals may not sum due to rounding and there
may be small differences between the actual percentage change and the percentage change that
would be calculated by using the rounded amounts discussed in the report.
For FY2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93), provided $678.7 million
for the three CJS trade-related agencies, including $510.3 million in direct appropriations for
ITA,3 $99.4 million for USITC, and a total of $69.0 million for USTR.4 The FY2020
appropriations for the three CJS trade-related agencies represented a 4.9% increase ($31.7
million) from the FY2019-enacted amount.
In addition to regular appropriations, Congress also passed supplemental funding for USTR in the
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (USMCA, P.L. 116-113). USMCA
provided a total of $90.0 million for USTR, to remain available until September 30, 2023. The
supplemental funds were provided to monitor compliance with labor and environmental
obligations of the agreement and to carry out the enforcement of USMCA environmental
obligations, including for state-to-state dispute settlement actions. In this report, when comparing
FY2021 and FY2020 funding, the FY2020 funding levels are taken from the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020, and do not include supplemental appropriations provided in USMCA.
See the Appendix for enacted budget authority for the trade-related agencies for FY2009-
FY2020.5
FY2021 Appropriations
For the FY2021 appropriations cycle, the President submitted his budget request to Congress on
February 10, 2020. The Administration requests a total of $647.0 million in appropriations for the
three CJS trade-related agencies. This request is $31.6 million (-4.7%) less than the FY2020
enacted amount.
The House Committee on Appropriations reported its FY2021 CJS appropriations proposal, H.R.
7667, on July 16, 2020. The CJS proposal was consolidated, along with five other appropriations
bills, into H.R. 7617, and passed the House on July 31, 2020. The House-passed bill would

1 For more on the overall CSJ appropriations, see CRS Report R46290, Overview of FY2021 Appropriations for
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), by Nathan James.
2 The FY2020 funding levels stated in this report reflect the amounts appropriated in the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2020. They do not include supplemental appropriations provided in USMCA (P.L. 116-113).
3 ITA is funded through a combination of direct appropriations and user fees the agency collects for certain services.
See Table 1 for additional detail.
4 Total USTR funding amounts in this report include both direct appropriations for “salaries and expenses,” as well as
funding to be derived from the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund for certain trade enforcement activities. See section on
“Trade Enforcement Trust Fund (TETF), USTR” in this report.
5 Also see CRS Report R46272, Trade-Related Agencies: FY2020 Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies (CJS), by Keigh E. Hammond and M. Angeles Villarreal.
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provide $706.4 million for the three trade-related agencies, which is $27.8 million (4.1%) more
than the previous year’s enacted funding, and $59.4 million (9.2%) more than the President’s
FY2021 budget request.
Table 1. Appropriations for CJS Trade-Related Agencies, FY2020-FY2021
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
CJS Trade-
FY2020
FY2021
House-
Senate
Enacted
Related Agency
Enacted
Request
Passed
Proposal
International Trade Administration (ITA)
$510.3
$474.4
$531.4

(direct appropriations)a
U.S. International Trade Commission
$99.4
$99.6b
$105.0

(USITC)
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
$69.0
$73.0
$70.0

(USTR)c
Total
$678.7
$647.0
$706.4

Sources: For FY2020 amounts, see P.L. 116-93. For the FY2021 request, see the appendix tables to the
President’s Budget. For the House proposal, see H.R. 7667.
Notes: Totals may not sum due to rounding. USTR total excludes supplemental funding from USMCA.
a. In addition to the direct appropriations listed above, ITA’s budget authority includes a portion to be derived
from user fees, which increase ITA’s available funds. For FY2020, ITA’s available funds were $521.3 mil ion,
including $11.0 mil ion in user fees. For FY2021, proposals include $11.0 mil ion in user fees, which would
raise total available funds to $485.4 mil ion for the Administration’s request and $542.4 mil ion for the
House-passed bil .
b. USITC request represents the President’s budget request. The Commission’s independent request,
submitted directly to Congress, is $105.0 mil ion for FY2021.
c. USTR appropriations include direct appropriations for salaries and expenses and funds to be derived from
the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund (TETF) for certain trade enforcement activities. Congress also provided
supplemental funding to USTR, in the USMCA; supplemental funding is excluded from USTR totals above.
International Trade Administration (ITA)6
ITA is a bureau within the Department of Commerce whose mission is to improve U.S. prosperity
by strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and
ensuring compliance with trade laws and agreements. ITA provides export promotion services,
works to enforce and ensure compliance with trade laws and agreements, administers trade
remedies such as antidumping and countervailing duties, and provides analytical support for
ongoing trade negotiations.
In October 2013, ITA went through a major organizational change in which it consolidated four
organizational units into three more functionally aligned units: (1) Global Markets, (2)
Enforcement and Compliance, and (3) Industry and Analysis. ITA also has a fourth organizational
unit, the Executive and Administrative Directorate, which is responsible for providing policy
leadership, information technology support, and administration services for all of ITA. (Table 2
outlines FY2021 budget proposals for ITA by unit. For historical budget amounts for ITA units,
see Table A-1.)

6 In this report, the budget authority figures for ITA’s subunits have been rounded; however, calculations comparing
ITA’s FY2019 budget and the FY2020 proposals are based on the original figures, as identified in ITA’s FY2020
congressional budget justification.
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ITA is funded through a combination of direct appropriations and user fees collected for certain
services. For FY2021, the Administration requests $474.4 million in direct appropriations for
ITA, with an additional $11.0 million to be collected in fees, for a total of $485.4 million in
authorized spending. The budget request is $35.8 million (-7.0%) less than the FY2020 enacted
direct appropriation.
The House-passed H.R. 7617 would provide $531.4 million in direct appropriations for ITA, with
an additional $11.0 million to be collected in fees, for a total of $542.4 million in authorized
spending. The House proposal is $21.2 million (4.2%) more than the FY2020 direct
appropriation, and $57.0 million (12.0%) more than the Administration’s request.
Table 2. ITA Appropriations, By Unit, FY2020-FY2021
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
Enacted/
House-
Senate-
Budget
FY2021
Committee
Committee
FY2021
ITA Unit
Authority
Request
Reported
Reported
Enacted
ITA
510.3
$474.4
$531.4

Global Markets
$333.0
$280.3
$348.0

Enforcement and Compliance
$91.8
$103.4
$103.4

Industry and Analysis
$62.5
$67.2
--a

Executive Administration
$23.0
$23.5
--a

Sources: ITA’s FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 15. The FY2021 House committee-reported
numbers are the Appropriations Committees’ recommendations as outlined in the House report accompanying
H.R. 7667, H.Rept. 116-455.
Notes: Totals may not sum due to rounding. The House committee-reported bil was incorporated into a
minibus (H.R. 7617), which passed the House.
a. The House Appropriations Committee did not propose a specific funding level.
Global Markets
ITA’s Global Markets (GM) unit is a combination of the United States and Foreign Commercial
Service (US&FCS) program, which provides export promotion services to U.S. businesses, and
the SelectUSA program, which works to attract foreign investment into the United States.
Through US&FCS, GM aims to promote U.S. exports by helping U.S. exporters research foreign
markets and identify opportunities abroad. GM’s country and regional experts―in domestic and
overseas offices—advise U.S. companies on market access, local standards, and regulations. The
unit also helps to make connections through business-to-business trade shows, fairs, and
missions. GM is designed to advance U.S. commercial interests by engaging with foreign
governments and U.S. businesses, identifying and resolving market barriers, and leading efforts
that advocate for U.S. firms with foreign governments. Through its SelectUSA program, the GM
unit promotes the United States as a destination for foreign investment. (For more on SelectUSA,
see section “SelectUSA Program” below.)
As in the previous three budget requests, the Administration proposes reducing funding for the
Global Markets unit. The Administration requests $280.3 million in funding for Global Markets,
which is $52.7 million less (-15.8%) than the FY2020 enacted amount. The Administration
proposes rescaling ITA’s global network in order to reduce fixed operational expenses. According
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to the congressional budget justification, “ITA estimates the need to close 32 offices overseas, 18
offices domestically, and reduce personnel [by 114 fulltime-equivalent (FTE) positions].”7
In the report accompanying the committee-reported bill, the House Committee on Appropriations
does not adopt the Administration’s proposed cuts to Global Markets, and instead recommends
boosting funding for the Global Markets unit. The House Committee on Appropriations
recommends $348.0 million for the unit, which is $15.0 million (4.5%) more than the FY2020
enacted amount, and $67.7 million (24.1%) more than the Administration’s request. The
Committee’s report includes language that would direct ITA to staff all U.S. export centers and
would require additional reporting from ITA on its staffing plans for Global Markets.8
Enforcement and Compliance
The mission of ITA’s Enforcement and Compliance unit is to enforce U.S. trade laws and ensure
compliance with negotiated international trade agreements. The Enforcement and Compliance
unit is responsible for enforcing U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) laws,
overseeing a variety of programs and policies regarding the enforcement and administration of
U.S. trade remedy laws, assisting U.S. industry and businesses with unfair trade matters, and
administering the Foreign-Trade Zone program and other U.S. import programs.9
For FY2021, the Administration requests $103.4 million in funding for the Enforcement and
Compliance unit.10 This request is $11.6 million (12.6%) more than the previous year’s enacted
amount. According to budget documents, the request includes additional funds to support ITA’s
work in reviewing AD/CVD petitions, which the agency projects will continue to increase, and in
reviewing exclusion requests for the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.11
The House Committee on Appropriations also recommends $103.4 million in funding for the
Enforcement and Compliance unit. The Committee’s recommendation is $11.6 million (12.6%)
more than the FY2020 enacted amount, and equal to the Administration’s request.12
Industry and Analysis
ITA’s Industry and Analysis unit brings together ITA’s industry, trade, and economic experts to
advance the competitiveness of U.S. industries through the development and execution of
international trade and investment policies, export promotion strategies, and investment
promotion. It analyzes economic and international policies to improve market access for U.S.

7 International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification,
p. 67.
8 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related-Agencies
Appropriations Bill, Report Accompanying H.R. 7667, 116th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 116-455, p. 13.
9 For background on some of these activities, see CRS In Focus IF10018, Trade Remedies: Antidumping and
Countervailing Duties, by Vivian C. Jones and Christopher A. Casey, and CRS In Focus IF11348, U.S. Foreign-Trade
Zone (FTZ) Program, by Liana Wong
10 International Trade Administration, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 15.
11 International Trade Administration, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, pp. 47-48, 51-52. For Section
232 exclusion requests, ITA assists the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is the lead agency involved in
making final decisions regarding whether the requests are granted or denied. ITA assists by analyzing exclusion
requests and objections to determine whether there is sufficient domestic production available to meet the requestor’s
product needs. For more information on the Section 232 tariffs, see CRS Report R45249, Section 232 Investigations:
Overview and Issues for Congress, coordinated by Rachel F. Fefer.
12 International Trade Administration, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 15.
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businesses, and designs and implements trade and investment promotion programs. The unit
serves as the primary liaison between U.S. industries and the federal government on trade and
investment promotion. It administers programs that support small and medium-sized enterprises,
such as the Market Development Cooperator Program.
For FY2021, the Administration proposes increasing funding for the Industry and Analysis unit.
The Administration requests $67.2 million for Industry and Analysis. This request is $4.8 million
(7.6%) more than the FY2020 enacted amount.13 According to ITA’s budget documents, the unit’s
expertise has been in increasing demand in recent years;
“(1) to support Section 301, 201, and 232 trade actions, (2) to address and counter U.S.
trading partners’ retaliatory actions and (3) to maintain support for ITA and other agencies
with data analytics and sectoral expertise in trade compliance and export promotion
work.”14
For FY2021, the House Committee on Appropriations does not recommend a specific funding
recommendation for the Industry and Analysis unit.15
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)
USITC is an independent, quasi-judicial agency responsible for conducting trade-related
investigations and providing independent technical advice on U.S. international trade policy to
Congress, the President, and USTR. The Commission (1) investigates and determines whether
imports injure a domestic industry or violate U.S. intellectual property rights; (2) provides
independent tariff, trade, and competitiveness-related analysis to the President, Congress, and
USTR; and (3) maintains the U.S. tariff schedule. USITC also serves as a federal resource for
trade data and other trade policy information. It makes most of its information and analyses
available to the public to promote understanding of competitiveness, international trade issues,
and the role that international trade plays in the U.S. economy.
USITC’s annual budget request to Congress is subject to two types of submission: (1) the
President’s budget request for the Commission, included in the President’s annual budget; and (2)
the Commission’s independent budget request. USITC has the authority to submit its independent
budget directly to Congress without revision by the President, pursuant to Section 175 of the
Trade Act of 1974.
The President’s FY2021 budget requests $99.6 million in funding for USITC. The budget request
is $0.2 million (0.2%) more than the FY2020 enacted levels. While the President requested a
slight increase, the Commission’s independent budget submission to Congress requests $105.0
million for FY2021, which is $5.6 million (5.6%) above the FY2020 enacted funding level.16
The House-passed H.R. 7617 includes $105.0 million for USITC, the same amount as USITC’s
independently submitted request, which is $5.6 million (5.6%) more than the FY2020 funding
level, and $5.4 million (5.4%) more than the President’s budget request.

13 International Trade Administration, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 15.
14 International Trade Administration, ITA FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 30.
15 Although the House did not recommend a specific funding level for FY2021 for each of ITA’s four units, it did
provide recommendations for FY2020. The House and Senate recommendations for individual ITA units vary year by
year.
16 U.S. International Trade Commission, USITC Congressional Budget Submission Fiscal Year 2021, at
https://www.usitc.gov/documents/consolidated_fy2021_cbj_v6-508_compliant.pdf
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Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
USTR has primary responsibility for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade and
direct investment policies, as the head of the interagency trade policy coordinating process.17 As
part of the Executive Office of the President, USTR is the President’s principal advisor on trade
policy and the President’s chief negotiator for international trade agreements, including
commodity and direct investment negotiations. USTR negotiates directly with foreign
governments to create trade agreements (which generally also require legislative approval) and
resolve disputes, and participates in global trade policy organizations such as the World Trade
Organization. It also meets with business groups, policymakers, and public interest groups on
trade policy issues.18
In addition to direct appropriations for USTR, Congress can provide USTR additional funding
from the congressionally established Trade Enforcement Trust Fund. Funding from the trust fund
may be used by USTR for certain trade enforcement activities, authorized by the Trade
Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. See the section below, “Trade Enforcement
Trust Fund (TETF), USTR” for more detail.
For FY2021, the Administration requests a total of $73.0 million for USTR, including $60.0
million in direct appropriations for salaries and expenses and $13.0 million to be derived from the
TETF for certain trade enforcement activities (Table 3). The total request is $4.0 million (5.8%)
more than the FY2020 enacted funding level. The Administration proposes increasing USTR’s
staff by 16 FTEs above the FY2020 level, in order to support the President’s trade policy.19
The House-passed H.R. 7617 would provide a total of $70.0 million in total funding for USTR,
including $55.0 million in direct appropriations for salaries and expenses, and an additional $15.0
million to be derived from the TETF for certain trade enforcement activities. The total proposal is
$1.0 million (1.4%) more than FY2020 funding level, and $3.0 million less (-4.1%) than the
Administration’s request.
In addition to regular appropriations, Congress also passed supplemental funding for USTR in the
USMCA implementing act.20 Under this act, Congress provides $50.0 million for USTR to
remain available until September 30, 2023 for salaries and expenses to monitor compliance with
labor and environmental obligations of the agreement. USMCA implementing legislation also
includes $40.0 million for the TETF “to carry out the enforcement of environmental obligations
under the USMCA, including for state-to-state dispute settlement actions, during fiscal years
2020 through 2023.”21

17 USTR coordinates U.S. trade policy through the interagency process, as outlined by statue. The interagency draws its
membership from key executive trade agencies and the White House. For more on the interagency process, see CRS In
Focus IF11016, U.S. Trade Policy Functions: Who Does What?, by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar.
18 USTR, “Mission of the USTR,” at https://ustr.gov/about-us/about-ustr.
19 U.S. Trade Representative, USTR FY2021 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 1.
20 For more on the USMCA, see CRS Report R44981, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), by M.
Angeles Villarreal and Ian F. Fergusson.
21 P.L. 116-113, Title IX.
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Table 3. USTR: FY2020-FY2021 Regular Appropriations
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars
FY2020
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
FY2021
House
Senate

Enacted
Request
Enacted
Proposal
Proposal
USTR
$69.0
$73.0
$70.0

Direct appropriation for
$54.0
$60.0
$55.0

salaries and expenses
Funding to be derived from
TETF for certain trade
$15.0
$13.0
$15.0

enforcement activities
Sources: For the FY2020 enacted amount, see P.L. 116-93. For the FY2021 request, see the appendix tables to
the President’s Budget; for the House proposal see H.R. 7617.
Note: The totals exclude supplemental funding from USMCA. TETF = Trade Enforcement Trust Fund,
authorized by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4405).
Selected Trade-Related Programs and Activities
Over the past decade, Congress has provided funding for specific trade-related programs or
activities within broader agency budgets. The following programs are highlighted in this report,
due to recent and ongoing congressional interest: (1) ITA’s China trade enforcement and
compliance activities; (2) ITA’s investment promotion activities in its SelectUSA Program; (3)
the Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) within ITA; and (4) the Trade Enforcement Trust
Fund, which funds certain activities of USTR. (See Table A-3 for historical budget authority for
these selected programs.)
China Trade Enforcement and Compliance Activities, ITA
Since 2004, Congress has dedicated some of ITA’s funding to AD/CVD enforcement and
compliance activities with respect to China and other nonmarket economies.22 ITA’s Office of
China Compliance was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-
199). Its primary role has been to enforce U.S. AD/CVD laws and to develop and implement
other policies and programs aimed at countering unfair foreign trade practices in China. ITA’s
China Countervailing Duty Group was established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010
(P.L. 111-117) to accommodate the workload that resulted from the application of countervailing
duty law to imports from nonmarket economy countries.23
ITA’s FY2021 budget justification did not provide a breakdown of funding for its China
AD/CVD activities.
The House-passed H.R. 7617 includes $16.4 million, within ITA’s budget, for China antidumping
and countervailing duty enforcement and compliance activities in FY2021, an amount equal to
the FY2020 enacted funding.

22 For the purposes of trade remedies, the Commerce Department determines “nonmarket economy” countries,
according to 19 U.S.C. §1677(18); “the term "nonmarket economy country" means any foreign country that the
administering authority determines does not operate on market principles of cost or pricing structures, so that sales of
merchandise in such country do not reflect the fair value of the merchandise.”
23 U.S. Congress, Conference Committee, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill 2010,
conference report accompanying H.R. 2847, 111th Cong. 1st sess., H.Rept. 111-149, June 12, 2009, pp. 10-11.
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SelectUSA Program, ITA
SelectUSA was established by executive order in 2011 as a Commerce Department program to
promote the United States as an investment market and to address investor climate concerns that
could impede investment in the United States. SelectUSA coordinates investment-related
resources across more than 20 federal agencies; serves as an information resource for
international investors; and advocates for U.S. cities, states, and regions as investment
destinations.24 SelectUSA currently is part of ITA’s Global Markets unit. Between FY2012 and
FY2020, CJS appropriations provided specific funding levels for SelectUSA.
ITA’s FY2021 budget justification does not provide a breakdown for requested funding for
SelectUSA.
The House Appropriations Committee also does not outline a specific funding level for
SelectUSA within ITA.
Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT), ITA
ITA’s Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) gathers statistics about air passenger travelers
in the United States. Federal agencies use these statistics for a variety of purposes, such as to
estimate the contribution of international travel to the economy, develop public policy on the
travel industry, and forecast staffing needs at consulates and ports of entry.
SIAT is within the Industry and Analysis unit at ITA. ITA’s FY2021 budget justification does not
provide a breakdown for requested funding for SIAT.
In the report accompanying the committee-reported bill, the House Appropriations Committee
recommends "support for the Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) at no less than the
fiscal year 2020 level and encourages ITA to include an assessment of the impacts of the
coronavirus on the travel and tourism industries in future SIAT surveys."25
Trade Enforcement Trust Fund (TETF), USTR
In order to provide additional funding for trade enforcement activities, Congress established the
Trade Enforcement Trust Fund (TETF) in 2016. In Section 611 of the Trade Facilitation and
Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-125), Congress directed the Secretary of the Treasury to
transfer $15.0 million annually into TETF from the general fund of Treasury, and outlined
authorized uses of the funds.26 Under Section 611(d) of this Act, funds are available to USTR,
“only as provided by appropriations Acts,” for any of the following: (1) to monitor and enforce
U.S. free trade agreements and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments; (2) to support
trade capacity-building assistance to help partner countries meet their free-trade agreement
obligations and commitments; and (3) to investigate petitions concerning unfair trade practices
under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. 27 The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act

24 Executive Order 13577, June 15, 2011. For more on SelectUSA, see CRS In Focus IF10674, SelectUSA Program:
U.S. Inbound Investment Promotion, by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar.
25 House Committee on Appropriations, H.Rept. 116-455, p.12.
26 The total amount in the TETF may not exceed $30.0 million, and thus Treasury may transfer less than $15.0 million
annually, as required by this limitation (19 U.S.C. §4405).
27 19 U.S.C. §4405; Section 611 of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-125). For more
information on Section 301 see, CRS In Focus IF11346, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, by Andres B.
Schwarzenberg.
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of 2015 also authorizes USTR to transfer funds to select federal agencies for trade enforcement
activities authorized in Section 611(d).
For FY2021, the Administration requests $13.0 million to be derived from the TETF for USTR,
for trade enforcement activities authorized by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act
of 2015. The request is $2.0 million less (-13.3%) than the FY2020 enacted level.
The House-passed H.R. 7617 would include $15.0 million to be to be derived from the TETF for
USTR, for authorized trade enforcement activities. The recommendation is equal to the FY2020
enacted funding level, and $2.0 million more (15.4%) than the Administration’s request.
In addition to regular appropriations, Congress also provides supplemental funding of $50.0
million for USTR in USMCA implementing legislation (P.L. 116-113) to remain available until
September 30, 2023. Of this amount, $30.0 million is to be available to USTR to provide for
additional capacity for FY2020-FY2023 to monitor compliance with USMCA labor obligations,
while $20.0 million shall be available to monitor compliance of environmental obligations. The
supplemental appropriations in USMCA implementing legislation also provides for an additional
$40.0 million for the TETF “to carry out the enforcement of environmental obligations under the
USMCA, including for state-to-state dispute settlement actions, during fiscal years 2020 through
2023.”28

28 P.L. 116-113, Title IX.
Congressional Research Service
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Trade-Related Agencies: FY2021 Appropriations

Appendix. Budget Authority Tables

Congressional Research Service
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Table A-1. Budget Authority for ITA by Unit: FY2009-FY2020
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars

FY2009
FY2010
FY2011
FY2012
FY2013
FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
Manufacturing and
48.6
49.5
48.9
46.5
42.3
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Services
Market Access and
42.3
43.2
42.6
42.6
39.9
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Compliance
Import
Administration
66.4
68.3
67.4
69.8
70.9
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Trade Promotion
and the U.S. &
Foreign Commercial
237.7
258.4
254.9
269.8
261.7
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Service
Industry and Analysis
—
—
—
—
—
54.9
55.5
56.3
55.4
52.3
52.6
62.5
Enforcement and
Compliance
—
—
—
—
—
70.6
71.6
79.0
85.5
87.5
88.5
91.8
Global Markets
—
—
—
—
—
312.0
311.8
324.4
319.2
319.2
320.0
333.0
Executive and
Administration
25.4
27.3
26.9
26.9
23.7
23.1
23.1
23.3
23.0
22.9
22.9
23.0
Total ITA
420.4
446.8
440.7
455.6
438.5
460.6
462.0
483.0
483.0
482.0
484.0
510.3
Sources: Budget office, International Trade Administration (ITA), U.S. Department of Commerce.
Notes: In 2014, ITA went through a reorganization in which four units (Manufacturing and Services, Market Access and Compliance, Import Administration, and the U.S.
& Foreign Commercial Service) were restructured into three units: Industry and Analysis, Enforcement and Compliance, and Global Markets.
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link to page 15

Table A-2. Budget Authority for USITC and USTR: FY2009-FY2020
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars

FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020
USITC
75.1
81.9
81.7
80.0
78.9
83.0
84.5
88.5
91.5
93.7
95.0
99.4
USTR (total)a
47.3
47.8
47.7
51.3
47.6
52.6
54.3
54.5
62.0
72.6
68.0
69.0
Direct appropriation
for salaries and
47.3
47.8
47.7
51.3
47.6
52.6
54.3
54.5
47.0
57.6
53.0
54.0
expenses
Funds to be derived
from TETF, for certain
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
15.0
15.0
15.0
15.0
trade enforcement
activitiesb
Sources: H.Rept. 110-240 and P.L. 110-28; House Committee on Appropriations’ committee print on the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), Division B;
H.Rept. 111-149; S.Rept. 111-229; H.Rept. 112-169; H.Rept. 112-463; Joint explanatory statement to accompany P.L. 113-76, printed in the January 15, 2014,
Congressional Record (pp. H507-H532); joint explanatory statement to accompany P.L. 113-235, printed in the December 11, 2014, Congressional Record (pp. H9342-
H9363). FY2013 post-sequestration amounts were provided by USITC and USTR. The FY2016-enacted amounts were taken from the text of P.L. 114-113 (pp. 2321-
2322), and the FY2017-enacted amounts were taken from the text of P.L. 115-31 (pp. 84-85). FY2018-enacted amounts were taken from P.L. 115-141; FY2019 amounts
were taken from P.L. 116-6; FY2020 were taken from P.L. 116-93.
Notes: FY2013 appropriations include sequestration.
a. USTR totals exclude supplemental appropriations from USMCA.
b. TETF =the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund, established by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-125). Congress first provided funds
for USTR to be derived from the Trade Enforcement Trust Fund in FY2017.

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Table A-3. Budget Authority for Selected Trade-Related Programs: FY2009-FY2020
Millions of Current U.S. Dollars

FY2009
FY2010
FY2011
FY2012
FY2013
FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
FY2018
FY2019
FY2020
Office of China
7.0
7.0
3.0
7.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Compliance (ITA)
China Countervailing
4.4
4.4
0.0
4.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Duty Group (ITA)
China antidumping
and countervailing
duty enforcement and
—
—
—
—
16.4
16.4
16.4
16.4
16.4
16.4
16.4
16.4
compliance activities
(ITA)
SelectUSA (ITA)
—
—
—
0.9
0.9
7.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
USTR funds to be
derived from the
Trade Enforcement
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
15.0
15.0
15.0
15.0
Trust Fund

Sources: ITA Budget office, and P.L. 110-161, P.L. 111-117, H.Rept. 111-366, joint explanatory statements to accompany P.L. 113-76 and P.L. 113-235, P.L. 114-113, P.L.
115-31, P.L. 115-141, and U.S. Congress, House Committee on Appropriations, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Legislative Text and Explanatory Statement (Book 1),
committee print accompanying H.R. 1625, 115th Cong. 2nd sess.; FY2019 amounts were taken from P.L. 116-6 and H.Rept. 116-9 (the Conference Report accompanying
H.J.Res. 31, 116th Cong., 1st sess.); FY2020 amounts taken from P.L. 116-93 and from the House Rules Committee’s Explanatory Statement on H.R. 1158, Division B,
available at https://rules.house.gov/bil /116/hr-1158-sa.

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Trade-Related Agencies: FY2021 Appropriations

Author Information

Keigh E. Hammond
M. Angeles Villarreal
Senior Research Librarian
Specialist in International Trade and Finance

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