TPA will ensure a U.S. leadership role and help boost economic growth
“TPA was the most important vote on trade this year. It was a vote for U.S. trade leadership and a strong American economy,” said Bill Reinsch, President of the NFTC. “We’ve been sidelined in recent years on trade while the rest of the world has been moving ahead. With the recent launch of a new WTO Round of global trade talks and the vital need to bolster economic growth and restart the global economy, being sidelined is no longer an option.”
“Fortunately, the House of Representatives today has reversed course and has taken a crucial step towards reestablishing U.S. leadership and engagement in forging major trade agreements on behalf of America’s farmers, workers, consumers, and producers of goods and services. And it has done so in a manner that supports other important policy objectives, such as those on the environment and labor.”
“With today’s vote, the Congress and the President have reestablished their historical executive-legislative partnership on trade,” Reinsch said. “It puts us in a strong position to achieve an ambitious new WTO Round agenda to open markets worldwide and strengthen our open rules-based trading regime. TPA is also essential to advancing the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiation, which has been stalled partly because of our lack of TPA.”
“Without TPA, we would have had a tough time getting other countries to the bargaining table – and with one out of ten U.S. jobs directly related to exports, and one-third of our farm acres planted for exports we couldn’t have taken that gamble.” Reinsch continued. “The House deserves a tremendous amount of credit for understanding that our nation’s long term growth depends on open trade.”
Contact: Eric Thomas
Emily Kelley
(202) 822-9491
