Ending
a nine-month exile while the third floor of the U.S. Chamber's
headquarters building was refurbished, the staff of the International
Division are moving back on November 18 and 21 from locations in Crystal
City and at 1750 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. We look forward to visiting with
you in our newly modernized offices at the headquarters building.
With
the current continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal budget
expiring today, the House and Senate on November 17 passed the
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 2112). The
legislation combines an extension of the CR through December 16 with the
first "minibus" appropriations bill, which includes the fiscal 2012
Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-Housing and
Urban Development appropriations bills. Following are some of the trade
issues addressed by the "minibus":