Senate advances Africa trade bill 89-4; both Alaska senators vote yes

The U.S. Senate voted 89-4 Monday to clear the way for a bill extending African trade benefits and customs user fees. The vote invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 6500, which would extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both voted yea.

Congress enacted AGOA in 2000. The program gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for more than 1,800 products, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. That comes on top of more than 5,000 products already covered under the Generalized System of Preferences.

Renewal has drawn organized pressure from several directions. The African Union Commission, in an October 2024 press release, called on Congress to ensure "a seamless and long-term extension." Other groups, including the Africa Coalition for Trade and the AFL-CIO, have weighed in on jobs and labor conditions. The AFL-CIO said "any renewal of AGOA must include stronger, enforceable labor conditionality."

Monday's vote was procedural. Cloture limits debate on the motion to proceed, and the Senate generally must dispose of that motion before it takes up the bill itself.