# 119-s-5315: Trade Deficit Elimination Act of 2026

119-s-5315, Trade Deficit Elimination Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL); status introduced (as of 2026-08-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5315
- As of: 2026-08-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5315
- Congress: 119
- Title: Trade Deficit Elimination Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-26

## Summary

**Creates a system to identify and act on U.S. bilateral goods deficits.** The bill directs the United States Trade Representative to name trading partners with bilateral deficits and, with Presidential direction, impose or adjust import duties and pursue bilateral agreements to shrink those deficits. - Families and households: Targeted duties on imports could raise prices for some consumer goods in affected categories. - Workers and domestic manufacturers: The bill aims to protect U.S. producers by making imports more expensive and by securing commitments from partners to buy U.S. goods or change practices. - Importers, retailers, and foreign exporters: Importers and foreign suppliers face new risks of added duties, exemptions rules, and annual designation lists. - U.S. trade officials: The United States Trade Representative must publish an annual list of "trade deficit economies" using recent final data, consult Congress before changing duties, and may negotiate bilateral deals to reduce deficits.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-08-06T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Bilateral deals to reduce trade deficits: mixed, high. This bill would let the U.S. Trade Representative negotiate bilateral trade agreements with listed deficit partners. Agreements would aim to substantially reduce the goods trade deficit. They could include commitments by the partner to change policies, buy U.S. goods, or restrain exports to the Uni…
- Higher import duties for deficit countries: mixed, high. This bill would let the U.S. Trade Representative, under the President's direction, add, raise, lower, suspend, or change import duties on goods from any listed deficit country. Any duty would be added on top of existing duties. The Trade Representative must consult the House Ways and Means and Sen…
- Annual list of bilateral trade deficits: mixed, low. This bill would require the USTR to publish a yearly list of trading partners with which the United States has a goods trade deficit. The first list must be published within 30 days of enactment, and then on April 1 each year. Each deficit value must use finalized calendar-year data available by Ja…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-541: ELITE Vehicles Act
- 119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5315 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5315)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-541: ELITE Vehicles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-541)
- [119-s-124: Restore VA Accountability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-124)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5315 (as of 2026-08-26).