Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1022 To create jobs in the United States by increasing United States exports to Africa by at least 200 percent in real dollar value within 10 years, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 25, 2021 Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. BOOKER, and Mr. CARDIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To create jobs in the United States by increasing United States exports to Africa by at least 200 percent in real dollar value within 10 years, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Increasing American 4 Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find- 7 ings: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1022 IS (1) Export growth helps United States business 1 grow and create United States jobs. Ninety-eight 2 percent of United States exports came from approxi- 3 mately 300,000 small- and medium-sized businesses 4 supporting 4,000,000 United States jobs. 5 (2) In a February 5, 2021, message to an Afri- 6 can leaders meeting at the African Union Summit, 7 President Joseph R. Biden reaffirmed the United 8 States relationship with African countries as part- 9 ners in the continent-wide spirit of entrepreneurship 10 and innovation. 11 (3) Many countries have trade-distorting export 12 promotion programs that aggressively subsidize ex- 13 ports to Africa and other countries around the 14 world. In 2019, there were 115 known official export 15 credit providers around the world, including export 16 credit agencies, up from 85 in 2015—a 35 percent 17 increase from 2015 to 2019. The increasing invest- 18 ment by foreign governments into export credit can 19 threaten competitiveness of United States businesses 20 abroad. 21 (4) Between 2008 and 2019, the People’s Re- 22 public of China alone provided more than 23 $462,000,000,000 in loans to the developing world, 24 and, in 2009, the People’s Republic of China sur- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1022 IS passed the United States as the leading trade part- 1 ner of African countries. The Export-Import Bank 2 of the United States reports the People’s Republic of 3 China’s export finance activity is larger than all the 4 other export credit agencies in the Group of 7 coun- 5 tries combined, making the People’s Republic of 6 China the world’s largest official creditor with a 7 portfolio more than twice the size of the World Bank 8 and International Monetary Fund combined. 9 (5) The Export-Import Bank of the United 10 States supported $12,400,000,000 worth of trans- 11 actions to sub-Saharan Africa from 2009 to 2019, 12 while in 2018, the People’s Republic of China made 13 up 22 percent of public debt stock, and, in 2020, the 14 People’s Republic of China made up 29 percent of 15 debt service in low-income countries in Africa. The 16 People’s Republic of China accounts for a quarter or 17 more of all public and publicly guaranteed debt in 18 Angola, Djibouti, Cameroon, the Republic of the 19 Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia. 20 (6) The practice of the People’s Republic of 21 China of concessional financing runs contrary to the 22 principles of the Organisation for Economic Co-oper- 23 ation and Development related to open market rates, 24 undermines naturally competitive rates, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1022 IS incentivizes governments in Africa to overlook the 1 People’s Republic of China’s troubling record on 2 labor practices, human rights, and environmental 3 impact. 4 (7) Sixty percent of Africa’s approximately 5 1,250,000,000 people are under the age of 25, and 6 by the year 2050, one-third of global youth will be 7 in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2030, Africa will have 17 8 cities with more than 5,000,000 inhabitants, as well 9 as 90 cities with populations of at least 1,000,000. 10 Both are factors contributing to rising household 11 consumption predicted to reach approximately 12 $2,500,000,000,000 by 2030. 13 (8) When countries such as the People’s Repub- 14 lic of China assist with large-scale government 15 projects, they often gain access to valuable commod- 16 ities such as oil and copper, typically without regard 17 to environmental, human rights, labor, or govern- 18 ance standards. 19 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to create 20 jobs in the United States by expanding programs that will 21 result in increasing United States exports to Africa by 200 22 percent in real dollar value within 10 years. 23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 24 In this Act: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1022 IS (1) AFRICA.—The term ‘‘Africa’’ refers to the 1 entire continent of Africa and its 54 countries, in- 2 cluding the Republic of South Sudan. 3 (2) AFRICAN DIASPORA.—The term ‘‘African 4 diaspora’’ means the people of African origin living 5 in the United States, irrespective of their citizenship 6 and nationality, who are willing to contribute to the 7 development of Africa. 8 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 9 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 10 mittees’’ means— 11 (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 12 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 13 Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, 14 and the Committee on Finance of the Senate; 15 and 16 (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 17 Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Com- 18 mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on 19 Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Ways 20 and Means of the House of Representatives. 21 (4) DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘de- 22 velopment agencies’’ includes the United States De- 23 partment of State, the United States Agency for 24 International Development, the Millennium Chal- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1022 IS lenge Corporation, the United States International 1 Development Finance Corporation, the United 2 States Trade and Development Agency, the United 3 States Department of Agriculture, and relevant mul- 4 tilateral development banks. 5 (5) MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS.— 6 The term ‘‘multilateral development banks’’ has the 7 meaning given that term in section 1701(c)(4) of the 8 International Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 9 262r(c)(4)) and includes the African Development 10 Foundation. 11 (6) SUB-SAHARAN REGION.—The term ‘‘sub-Sa- 12 haran region’’ refers to the 49 countries listed in 13 section 107 of the African Growth and Opportunity 14 Act (19 U.S.C. 3706). 15 (7) TRADE POLICY STAFF COMMITTEE.—The 16 term ‘‘Trade Policy Staff Committee’’ means the 17 Trade Policy Staff Committee established pursuant 18 to section 2002.2 of title 15, Code of Federal Regu- 19 lations, which is composed of representatives of Fed- 20 eral agencies in charge of developing and coordi- 21 nating United States positions on international trade 22 and trade-related investment issues. 23 (8) TRADE PROMOTION COORDINATING COM- 24 MITTEE.—The term ‘‘Trade Promotion Coordinating 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1022 IS Committee’’ means the Trade Promotion Coordi- 1 nating Committee established under section 2312 of 2 the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 3 4727). 4 (9) UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN COMMER- 5 CIAL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘United States and For- 6 eign Commercial Service’’ means the United States 7 and Foreign Commercial Service established by sec- 8 tion 2301 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 9 (15 U.S.C. 4721). 10 SEC. 4. STRATEGY. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 12 date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall es- 13 tablish a comprehensive United States strategy for public 14 and private investment, trade, and development in Africa. 15 (b) FOCUS OF STRATEGY.—The strategy required by 16 subsection (a) shall focus on— 17 (1) increasing exports of United States goods 18 and services to Africa by 200 percent in real dollar 19 value within 10 years from the date of the enact- 20 ment of this Act; 21 (2) promoting the alignment of United States 22 commercial interests with development priorities in 23 Africa; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1022 IS (3) developing relationships between the govern- 1 ments of countries in Africa and United States busi- 2 nesses that have an expertise in such issues as crit- 3 ical energy security, infrastructure development, 4 technology, telecommunications, and agriculture; 5 (4) improving the competitiveness of United 6 States businesses in Africa, including by encour- 7 aging the adoption of United States construction 8 codes and product standards, with emphasis on 9 those designated as American National Standards by 10 the American National Standards Institute where 11 applicable; 12 (5) exploring the role the African diaspora can 13 play in enhancing competitiveness of United States 14 businesses in Africa and ways that African diaspora 15 remittances can help communities in Africa tackle 16 economic, development, and infrastructure financing 17 needs; 18 (6) promoting economic integration in Africa 19 through working with the subregional economic com- 20 munities, supporting efforts for deeper integration 21 through the development of customs unions within 22 western and central Africa and within eastern and 23 southern Africa, eliminating time-consuming border 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1022 IS formalities into and within these areas, and sup- 1 porting regionally based infrastructure projects; 2 (7) encouraging a greater understanding among 3 United States business and financial communities of 4 the opportunities Africa holds for United States ex- 5 ports; 6 (8) fostering partnership opportunities between 7 United States and African small- and medium-sized 8 enterprises; 9 (9) supporting African entrepreneurship and 10 private sector development as a means to sustainable 11 economic growth and security; and 12 (10) monitoring— 13 (A) market loan rates and the availability 14 of capital for United States business investment 15 in Africa; 16 (B) loan rates offered by the governments 17 of other countries for investment in Africa; and 18 (C) the policies of other countries with re- 19 spect to export financing for investment in Afri- 20 ca that are predatory or distort markets. 21 (c) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing the strategy re- 22 quired by subsection (a), the President shall consult 23 with— 24 (1) Congress; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1022 IS (2) each agency that is a member of the Trade 1 Promotion Coordinating Committee; 2 (3) the relevant multilateral development banks, 3 in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury 4 and the respective United States Executive Directors 5 of such banks; 6 (4) each agency that participates in the Trade 7 Policy Staff Committee; 8 (5) the President’s Export Council; 9 (6) each of the development agencies; 10 (7) any other Federal agencies with responsi- 11 bility for export promotion or financing and develop- 12 ment; and 13 (8) the private sector, including businesses, 14 nongovernmental organizations, and African dias- 15 pora groups. 16 (d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 17 (1) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after 18 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 19 shall submit to Congress the strategy required by 20 subsection (a). 21 (2) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 3 22 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 23 President shall submit to Congress a report on the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1022 IS implementation of the strategy required by sub- 1 section (a). 2 (3) CONTENT OF REPORT.—The report re- 3 quired by paragraph (2) shall include an accounting 4 of all current United States Government programs 5 to promote exports to and trade with Africa and to 6 assist United States businesses competing in the Af- 7 rican market as well as an assessment of the extent 8 to which the strategy required by subsection (a)— 9 (A) has been successful in developing crit- 10 ical analyses of policies to increase exports to 11 Africa; 12 (B) has been successful in increasing the 13 competitiveness of United States businesses in 14 Africa; 15 (C) has been successful in creating jobs in 16 the United States, including the nature and 17 sustainability of such jobs; 18 (D) has provided sufficient United States 19 Government support to meet third-country com- 20 petition in the region; 21 (E) has been successful in helping the Af- 22 rican diaspora in the United States participate 23 in economic growth in Africa; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:19 Apr 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1022.IS S1022 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1022 IS (F) has been successful in promoting eco- 1 nomic integration in Africa; 2 (G) has encouraged specific policies and 3 programs in Africa that provide a stable, safe, 4 and transparent environment in which business 5 and entrepreneurship can thrive; and 6 (H) has made a meaningful contribution to 7 the transformation of Africa and its full inte- 8 gration into the 21st century world economy, 9 not only as a supplier of primary products but 10 also as full participant in international supply 11 and distribution chains and as a consumer of 12 international goods and services. 13 SEC. 5. SPECIAL AFRICA EXPORT STRATEGY COORDI- 14 NATOR. 15 The President shall designate an individ [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]