Washington DC – Today, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Bill Reinsch applauded Senator Pat Roberts for proposing an amendment to the highway bill that would result in the complete repeal of mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) in the United States.
“We applaud Senator Roberts for leading the way on COOL reform by proposing an amendment that would repeal the current U.S. rules and ensure the United States remains in compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations,” said Reinsch. “The United States has a long history of compliance with WTO rulings and should continue to pursue this standard in order to set an example for other countries.”
Reinsch also voiced his concern for the proposed Stabenow-Hoeven amendment, which would implement a voluntary COOL regime.
“The voluntary COOL regime Senators Stabenow and Hoeven have proposed ultimately falls short in bringing the U.S. COOL requirements into compliance with our WTO obligations. And Mexico and Canada have already stated they will pursue retaliation if the United States were to pass the Stabenow-Hoeven amendment into law,” he said. “With Canada able to implement retaliation as early as August 16, it is of the utmost urgency for the United States to act swiftly to repeal COOL.”
About the NFTC
Serving America’s Global Businesses Since 1914 – 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.
