§2686 Review of World-wide Supply, Demand, and Price of Basic Raw and Processed Materials

Summary

Congress says the Secretary of State should, and is allowed to, create a new office inside the State Department to continuously watch world supplies, demand, and prices of basic raw and processed materials, including agricultural commodities, and to track how U.S. government programs and policies, including tax policy, help cause or fix shortages. That office must gather information on each major importing, exporting, and producing country and region to see short- and long-term trends; projected imports and exports by country; unusual buying or selling patterns; a list of items in short supply with shortage estimates; geological, geophysical, and political factors that might affect supply; and other things the Secretary thinks are useful.