& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

US House votes to uphold Bush tariffs on steel

REUTERS, Washington
The US House of Representatives Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected a bid to overturn hefty new steel tariffs imposed by President George W Bush and replace them with less restrictive measures recommended by the US International Trade Commission.
The House voted 386-30 to effectively kill a "resolution of disapproval" offered by Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat whose district includes the Port of New Orleans, which fears it will lose business as a result of Bush's action.
In March, Bush imposed tariffs ranging from 8 per cent to 30 per cent in 10 different steel product categories to give the struggling domestic industry time to get back on its feet.
He took the action on the advice
of the ITC, which ruled last year that a surge in imports had seriously injured domestic steel producers.
But the ITC's official recommendation -- supported by three of the six commissioners -- called for tariffs that in most instances were no higher than 20 per cent.
Jefferson's resolution was intended to replace Bush's tariff scheme with the ITC recommendations. The House vote ends any chance of Congress altering Bush's steel tariffs.
Free-traders at home and around the world have criticised Bush's decision as a political ploy to shore up chances for Republicans to hold onto the closely-divided House in this year's congressional election.
But many Republicans have been embarrassed by the action, which is at odds with the party's free trade rhetoric and has prompted
threats of retaliation from Europe and Japan.
Last week, House Majority Leader Richard Armey, a Texas Republican and avowed free trader, admitted to being conflicted about whether to vote with Bush or "Adam Smith" on the steel issue -- referring to the 18th century guru of free markets.
Republican leaders were unable to block Jefferson's resolution from coming to the floor because it had "privileged" status under the very law Bush used to impose the tariffs.
But they used their control of the House legislative process to avoid a direct vote on the measure. Instead, lawmakers voted on a rule to "table" the resolution.
Jefferson accused top Republicans of hypocrisy on trade issues by blocking a full floor debate on the resolution.