Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
December 2, 2022 | Portman Difference
In a new op-ed for The Hill, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Chris Coons (D-DE) highlighted the need for the Congress to pass a bipartisan trade package focused on removing barriers to trade and strengthening trade enforcement, which would strengthen American competitiveness and help American workers, especially as China expands its trading relationships in the Indo-Pacific. The senators urged Congress to consider a package before the end of the year that includes their Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) package, called the Trading System Preservation Act, which would provide TPA for the president to negotiate sector specific trade agreements with like-minded partners at the World Trade Organization and includes authority to negotiate comprehensive free trade agreements with the United Kingdom, Kenya, Taiwan, and Ecuador. Their proposal would also reauthorize the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which helps retrain workers who lose their jobs due to foreign trade.
The senators also said it is essential for Congress to reauthorize the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) trade programs, which are currently expired. GSP expands our trading relationships with developing countries and gives the president another tool for international influence. MTB supports U.S. manufacturers that rely on inputs from abroad. Lastly, they call for the package to include new trade enforcement tools, such as Portman’s bipartisan Leveling The Playing Field Act.
Excerpts of the op-ed can be found below and the full op-ed can be found here.
A Bipartisan Trade Proposal to Support Our Economy
By Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Chris Coons (D-DE)
The Hill
Over the past two years, Congress has delivered bipartisan results to invest in American competitiveness and strengthen our communities.
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However, this Congress has been unable to reach agreement on one important topic: international trade. The cost of inaction has been high.
China has moved swiftly to expand its trading relationships in the Indo-Pacific with its Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade agreement, and U.S. allies have moved forward without us in implementing their own version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Twenty years ago, the United States was the top trading partner for most countries in the world. Today, a map of trade flows would show the United States eclipsed by China as almost every country’s top trading partner.
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That’s why we’re outlining a bipartisan trade proposal that Congress should pass this month.
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One such program is Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which helps retrain workers who lose their jobs due to foreign trade. TAA expired over the summer, leaving workers without access to this essential benefit. A responsible agreement should include a clean reauthorization of TAA until the end of 2025, which will help ensure that U.S. workers affected by trade can access the benefits they deserve and rebuild successful careers.
TAA is historically passed in tandem with Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which streamlines the process for the president to negotiate and Congress to pass trade agreements that benefit the United States. The politics of trade have evolved considerably since TPA was last passed in 2015, and a bipartisan trade package that includes TPA will allow Congress to set updated trade policy priorities for the president.
Our Trading System Preservation Act would provide TPA for the president to negotiate sector specific trade agreements with like-minded partners at the World Trade Organization, and it would be a strong addition to a bipartisan trade package. Including this bill would enable the United States to expand trade with our allies while preventing China from reaping the benefits of that market access. We are pleased that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai spoke positively about our proposal last year at the Senate Finance Committee.
We also believe it important for the United States to engage all regions of the world and work with like-minded partners to set high global standards for international trade. To this end, our TPA proposal also includes authority to negotiate comprehensive free trade agreements with a diverse series of countries on four continents: the United Kingdom, Kenya, Taiwan, and Ecuador.
Two other essential – yet expired – trade programs are the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB). GSP expands our trading relationships with developing countries and gives the president another tool for international influence. MTB supports U.S. manufacturers that rely on inputs from abroad. Both of these programs should be reauthorized with retroactive relief for duties paid.
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