President Joe Biden must end his administration’s trade moratorium and begin consultations with Congress to renew the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which expired on July 1, according to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and his fellow Republicans on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.
“In order to pursue new and ambitious free trade agreements, we need to pass the next iteration of Trade Promotion Authority legislation,” Rep. Buchanan said in an Aug. 3 statement. “If we don’t look beyond our borders to expand and sell more of our goods and services, America will lose influence abroad while also losing jobs here at home.”
Also known as “fast-track” authority, TPA allows for expedited congressional consideration of trade agreements — provided that certain statutory safeguards are met, according to the congressman’s office.
“We write to urge you to begin consultations with Congress to renew TPA so that America can once again lead the world by negotiating strong trade agreements that create U.S. jobs and open new markets for American goods and services while raising standards throughout the world,” wrote Rep. Buchanan and his colleagues in a recent letter sent to President Biden.
Among the 17 committee Republicans who joined Rep. Buchanan in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Tom Rice (R-SC), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Ron Estes (R-KS), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), and Carol Miller (R-WV).
“As you know, it’s not enough to Buy American, we need to Sell American throughout the world,” the members wrote. “Opening markets for new customers, reducing trade barriers, and effectively enforcing existing trade agreements all are vital to America’s economic recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
Rep. Buchanan and the lawmakers also noted that an ambitious trade negotiating agenda for America is all the more important given “troubling signs” that the pace of global economic recovery from the pandemic may remain uneven. And they wrote that they “strongly believe” that an updated TPA could garner significant bipartisan support in Congress, similar to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“TPA provides the framework for robust consultation with Congress and stakeholders that ultimately will allow you to conclude and implement important new agreements,” wrote Rep. Buchanan and his committee colleagues.