The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) cheered approval of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) by the Senate today, as the bill moved one step closer to becoming law.
“We applaud the Senate’s passage of this legislation, which will help us realize historic, market-opening trade deals with Asia and Europe,” said USCIB President and CEO Peter Robinson. “We have the opportunity to remove stifling barriers to our exports while bringing significant benefits to American workers and consumers.”
Every U.S. president since FDR has been afforded trade promotion authority of some form. But TPA lapsed in 2007 and has not been renewed since then. Robinson cited important recent progress on several trade pacts, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as adding urgency to the need to re-establish TPA.
Robinson said the Senate’s vote illustrates that there is space to build bipartisan Congressional support in favor of action on trade. There is also growing support among the American public. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 59 percent of Americans believe that free trade agreements are good for our country.
“We urge the House of Representatives to move expeditiously on its own TPA bill,” Robinson stated. “The business community is united behind this crucial legislation, and we intend to keep the momentum going so that TPA becomes law.”
USCIB is a founding member of the Trade Benefits America Coalition, an organization of American business organizations dedicated to building support for the U.S. trade agenda.
About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world. With a unique global network, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More at www.uscib.org.
Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org
