Press Releases and Statements Archives - Page 39 of 107

NFTC Welcomes Introduction of Sugar Reform Act

Posted on February 12, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington, DC – Today, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch released the following statement welcoming the introduction of the Sugar Reform Act of 2015 as a positive step toward reforming one of the oldest and most protectionist programs mandated by Congress.

“The NFTC commends the cosponsors – Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Dan Coats (R-IN), John McCain (R-AZ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dean Heller (R-NV) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) – for their ongoing efforts to reform the Depression-era U.S. sugar program.

“Defined by import restrictions and marketing allotments, the U.S. sugar program has distorted U.S. trade policy for far too long at the expense of U.S. consumers, taxpayers and businesses – costing consumers up to $3.5 billion annually and putting at unnecessary risk 600,000 American manufacturing jobs across the country.

“The U.S. sugar program is bad for American consumers, bad for the U.S. economy and bad for our global trading system. It’s time to end the instability that has plagued the sugar market over the years by enacting comprehensive reform, as proposed in the Sugar Reform Act.

“We urge the Senate to pass this legislation without delay.”

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About the NFTC

NFTC is Celebrating our New Century in 2014! Details at www.nftc.org The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York. Follow us on:

USA*Engage and NFTC Statement on Senate Banking Committee Passage of Iran Sanctions Legislation

Posted on January 29, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington, DC – Today USA*Engage and the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) released the following statement on the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee’s passage of the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015.

“Any action by the U.S. Congress to enact additional unilateral Iran sanctions in the near future will harm the nuclear negotiations between the P5plus1 and the government of Iran. While the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 provides some additional time for negotiations to continue before new sanctions would be implemented, we urge Congress to defer any further action until the conclusion or failure of negotiations.

“Congress should give the United States and its allies room to reach a constructive and substantive agreement. We commend the Senators who voted against the bill in the Banking Committee.”

Click here to read a letter sent by USA*Engage Vice President Richard Sawaya and NFTC President Bill Reinsch to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate last week.

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About USA*Engage
USA*Engage (www.usaengage.org) is a coalition of small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral U.S. foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of U.S. engagement abroad. Established in 1997 and organized under the National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org), USA*Engage leads a campaign to inform policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the counterproductive nature of unilateral sanctions, the importance of exports and overseas investment for American competitiveness and jobs, and the role of American companies in promoting human rights and democracy worldwide.

About NFTC
The National Foreign Trade Council (www.nftc.org) is a leading business organization advocating an open, rules-based global trading system. Founded in 1914 by a broad-based group of American companies, the NFTC now serves hundreds of member companies through its offices in Washington and New York. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

NFTC Urges Governor Christie to Veto Buy America Legislation

Posted on January 29, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) yesterday sent the following letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, urging him to veto A. 3059 – Buy America legislation. NFTC President Bill Reinsch wrote:

“The National Foreign Trade Council, an association of some 250 American companies engaged in international trade and investment, has written you in the past to urge you to veto Buy America legislation, A.3059, which has reached your desk. The bill would require New Jersey government agencies to certify that products procured are ‘mined, produced or manufactured in the United States.’

“A.3059 contains a sweeping procurement mandate for all New Jersey agencies ‘including contracts for public works for which the State pays any part of the cost, that only products that are manufactured or farm products of the United States, will be used to fulfill those contracts.’

“If enacted A. 3059 would substantially increase the cost to New Jersey taxpayers of vital infrastructure projects by requiring a preference for domestic manufactured goods. This is because the global supply chains involved in the production of many manufactured goods involves foreign assembly and components. Not only does exclusion of foreign content for procurement inevitably require the state to purchase products at a higher cost, the disclosure requirement for companies bidding on contracts could cause competitive suppliers to forego bidding.

“A.3059 is in conflict with the commitment of the U.S. government to nondiscriminatory public procurement under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). Although New Jersey has not acceded to the GPA and is consequently technically not bound by its provisions, A.3059 is clearly at odds with the international commitments of the United States.

“I urge you to veto A.3059 because of the negative impact on the economy of New Jersey, the cumbersome disclosure requirements for contractors and its conflict with national policy on public procurement.”

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NFTC Letter Urging Governor Christie to Veto Buy America Legislation

Posted on January 28, 2015 by dcadmin

NFTC Urges Prompt Enactment of Trade Promotion Authority

Posted on January 27, 2015 by dcadmin

NFTC Urges Prompt Passage of TPA, Essential to Advancing Critical Trade Agreements

Posted on January 27, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today in a letter to Congress called for support of prompt enactment of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to provide congressional guidance to U.S. trade negotiators. In a letter to all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, NFTC President Bill Reinsch wrote:

“Early enactment is critically important because negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership are nearing completion and those for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership are making significant progress. These two negotiations are the most important market-opening and standard-setting trade negotiations in many years.

“… Issues such as the development of global value chains, trans-border data flows now critical to all sectors of the U.S. economy, the need for improved discipline on foreign state-owned enterprises, and practices such as forced localization of data storage have all grown in importance in the last decade and have become significant new trade issues. New TPA legislation will give Congress the opportunity to take these new realities into account and provide appropriate direction to our negotiators.”

The NFTC was encouraged to hear U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s testimony today before the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees. Ambassador Froman highlighted the importance of Congress passing bipartisan TPA legislation, the Administration’s work toward a successful conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as progress being made on other trade negotiations, including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and those underway at the World Trade Organization.

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About the NFTC

NFTC Welcomes U.S. Ratification of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement

Posted on January 23, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington DC – Today, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) Vice President for Global Trade Issues Jake Colvin issued the following statement welcoming the news that the United States officially accepted the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

“Today’s announcement that the United States has taken its final step toward implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement signals an important moment for U.S. trade policy and the multilateral trading system.

“We commend Ambassadors Froman and Punke for their leadership throughout the negotiations and implementation process. Their commitment to pursing trade agreements that advance the rules-based trading system, like TFA, has not gone unnoticed.

“We hope that other countries recognize the importance of this agreement as a way to modernize trade rules, and we call on them to follow suit and ratify TFA without delay.”

About the NFTC

With Cost of GSP Expiration Hitting $1 Billion, NFTC Urges Congress to Renew the Program

Posted on January 22, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington DC – The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) today further highlighted the need to renew promptly the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which expired on July 31, 2013, this year.

According to a new estimate released today by the Coalition for GSP, companies have so far paid $1 billion to date in tariffs because of the program’s expiration – an average cost of $1.85 million daily for the last 540 days or nearly 18 months.

“As companies face higher costs and lost sales because of expiration of GSP, they are forced to take difficult actions impacting their daily business operations and employees, and small businesses across the country have been hit especially hard,” said Chuck Dittrich, NFTC Vice President for Regional Trade Initiatives. “Congress should renew GSP as soon as possible this year to ensure all American companies, large and small, have the tools they need to compete in today’s global marketplace, contribute to U.S. economic growth and create American jobs.”

“President Obama’s State of the Union address and the agendas set forth by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan all place trade as a top priority for 2015, and the GSP program is an important component of U.S. trade policy. It should be renewed without further delay,” said Dittrich.

About the NFTC

USA*Engage and NFTC to Congress: Give Nuclear Negotiations a Chance Before Additional Sanctions Against Iran

Posted on January 20, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington, DC – Today USA*Engage Vice President Richard Sawaya and National Foreign Trade Council President Bill Reinsch sent the following letter to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate opposing possible congressional action to enact additional unilateral sanctions against Iran.

“As negotiations between the P5plus1 and the government of Iran to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons continue, some key members of Congress appear intent on legislating more punitive sanctions on Iran’s economy. They argue that Congress has a clear role in charting U.S. foreign policy and that additional sanctions pressure will strengthen the U.S. negotiating position.

“The efficacy of the byzantine sanctions that burden Iran’s economy inevitably depend on their multilateral character, a fact underscored by President Obama’s repeated announcement he will veto any sanctions legislation passed while negotiations continue. The Administration does not want to give the Iranian government any opportunity to separate the United States and the European Union.

“The NFTC and USA*Engage believe that the Administration should be given the chance to see whether the negotiations can produce a constructive and substantial agreement. The major components of such an agreement have been well discussed in the policy community, as have its benefits for the region in which Iran is a critical actor.

“The question remains, however, regarding Congress’s role, since much of the sanctions regime is statutory. In the event of a workable agreement, eventual congressional action will be required.

“For these reasons, some congressional review of an agreement seems inevitable, but we continue to believe that the best course Congress can take is to wait until the negotiations either conclude successfully or fail before acting. At that point, if the agreement is deemed constructive and substantial, then the Congress should grant the Administration full authority to suspend and/or repeal the sanctions tied to the nuclear issue.

“Such a course presumably will give the nuclear negotiations maximum space to conclude free of political pressures and presumptive scapegoats and allow the United States and its allies a landscape on which to make rational policy decisions, whatever the outcome of the negotiations.”

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NFTC Responds to the President’s State of the Union Address

Posted on January 20, 2015 by dcadmin

Washington DC– National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

Trade Policy: “We are very pleased that the President took his pro-trade message directly to the American people tonight. Recently, including in December at our centennial dinner, the President has highlighted the important role trade plays in supporting U.S. economic growth and American jobs, and tonight was no exception.

“Trade agreements like those currently under negotiation – the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, Trade in Services Agreement and multilateral trade initiatives at the World Trade Organization – are aimed at creating new rules for a fairer trading system, breaking down barriers for U.S. exports, strengthening commercial ties with dynamic economies across the globe and generating opportunity for American companies, farmers and workers. However, to fully maximize the benefits of these and future agreements, Congress and the Administration must work together to enact bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority legislation as soon as possible this year.”

U.S. Cuba Policy: “The President’s remarks tonight coupled with the Administration’s recent actions are solid first steps toward thawing and normalizing relations with Cuba. We welcomed the Administration’s announcement in December, as well as the new rules implementing the policy changes, and we look forward to working with policymakers to re-establish relations between our two countries.”

Tax Policy: “In addition to expanding trade, the United States needs an updated tax system – one that enables a more level playing field for U.S. companies – to ensure U.S. competitiveness in the global economy. We urge Congress and the Administration to work together to pass much-needed comprehensive tax reform this year.”

Iran Sanctions: “As NFTC and USA*Engage noted in a letter today to all members of the House and Senate, Congress should let the nuclear negotiations between the P5plus1 and Iran play out before enacting additional unilateral sanctions against Iran. Congressional action at this time would be both premature and counterproductive. Echoing the President’s remarks this evening, we urge policymakers to give the negotiations the space and time to conclude.”

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About the NFTC