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The
Bush Administration’s Framework for Trade Promotion Authority
The President’s first legislative trade priority is U.S. Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA). TPA is a critical
part of the President’s ability to negotiate good trade deals that
will open markets, increase choices and
lower costs for American farmers, workers, consumers, and businesses.
- Our trading partners
need to know the President’s negotiators speak for the entire
United States. U.S. TPA
tells other governments that there will be no more negotiation once
they reach an agreement with the President.
And it ensures close collaboration with Congress. The Executive Branch
has not had TPA since 1994, and
America’s competitors have taken advantage in the interim.
Since taking office,
the Bush Administration has listened to diverse viewpoints, and the
Bush trade agenda
represents broadly supported goals and principles.
- The President’s
trade agenda for 2001 is intended to further the benefits of expanding
markets for American
consumers, farmers, and workers, and to advance a forward strategy
for freedom, sustainable development,
and increased living standards.
TPA gives the President
the flexibility to seize any trade opportunity, without compromising
American
sovereignty or slipping into protectionism. As the President has said,
trade helps create the culture of
liberty and the economic wealth needed to build and sustain support
for better working conditions and
improved environmental protection around the world.
- The TPA framework
also reflects the fact that there is a range of trade-related opportunities
beyond trade
negotiations themselves to move governments around the world toward
respect for worker rights and for the
environment in connection with international trade. There is also
a “toolbox” of illustrative measures that can be
used in combination with trade negotiations to encourage countries
to protect their environments and observe
core labor standards.
This is a major
step forward for those concerned about labor and environmental issues
in trade.
- Both labor and
environmental goals will be included in the list of principal U.S.
negotiating objectives for future
trade agreements, thus meeting a key request from the labor and environmental
communities. The framework
also seeks to increase transparency in international trade organizations
and agreements, including opening the
WTO to greater public scrutiny and allowing the public to observe
dispute settlement proceedings -- two
important NGO requests.
The longer we wait,
the more we delay opportunities for our consumers, farmers, and businesses.
The rest
of the world is moving forward and signing trade deals that exclude
the United States.
- U.S. exporters
are losing business in Chile to Canadian firms because Canada has
negotiated a free trade
agreement with Chile and the U.S. has not. This is just one example,
there are over 130 preferential trade
agreements in the world today, and the U.S. is a party to only two.
Free
Trade
- Free Trade is
good for American workers, because when American workers compete on
the world stage,
American workers win. 12 million U.S. jobs depend on exports, and
pay on average 13-18% more.
- Free Trade is
good for American farmers, because when the world buys America’s
top-quality food, American
farmers win. One in three U.S. farm acres is planted for export, and
25% of gross farm income comes from
exports.
- Free Trade is
good for American consumers and businesses, because when Americans
can shop the world for
the best prices and highest quality goods, American consumers and
producers win. The NAFTA and Uruguay
Rounds have provided an average annual benefit of approximately $1,500
per family.
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