Froman Says Administration Effort Continues to Secure Support for TPA
The Obama Administration is continuing to work with Congress to secure broad bipartisan support for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), said U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman during a Jan. 6 interview with Bloomberg TV. The legislation is an essential mechanism to close pending trade pacts and empower Congress to outline trade objectives, said Froman. Froman described Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations as in the “final stages,” while U.S. and European Union officials are “well underway” with Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
“It’s our goal through these trade negotiations first to make sure we’re removing both tariff and non-tariff barriers to our exports so we can drive exports, increase jobs, increase prosperity here for the middle class,” said Froman. “These trade agreements, when they’re fully negotiated and implemented and enforced…can very much ensure we are both increasing our exports and doing so in a way that promotes our workers.” The administration has conducted over 1100 meetings with Congress on TPP over recent years, said Froman, claiming lawmakers are apprised of the details of negotiations. The pending trade pacts will elevate global standards, for labor, environment and other rules, and in turn boost U.S. manufacturing.
“Increasing exports...opening markets drives manufacturing in the U.S. At the end of TPP and TTIP negotiations we’ll have free trade with more than 65 percent of the world,” said Froman. “When you combine that with the fact that we have inherent strength in the U.S. economy and the U.S. market, a strong rule of law system, abundant sources of clean and affordable energy,..it makes the United States the production platform of choice.” The Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee declined to comment on the timeframe for TPA introduction.