U.S. Legislators Urge New Direction for WTO Trade Talks
November 23, 2009
A group of U.S. legislators, all of whom are also members of the House Trade Working Group, are urging a new direction in United States trade policy ahead of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Geneva on November 30, 2009.
Representatives Mike Michaud (D-Maine), Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptor (D-Ohio), and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) have each stressed their support of the TRADE Act (H.R. 3012) and the Reciprocal Market Access Act (H.R. 3786) to ensure opportunities for American workers looking for jobs as the country recovers from the recession.
“On the eve of the WTO ministerial meeting, we have a tremendous opportunity to help reshape the WTO and move the United States towards a new trade policy,” said Rep. Slaughter. “It is my hope that President Obama returns from his eight days in Asia with a better understanding of the need for American workers and companies to have opportunities there. We can not continue to simply open up our markets to their goods when the deck is stacked against our workers. Even our trading partners are astonished the United States has allowed this hemorrhaging of jobs to occur without even making a peep.”
“Those of us in Congress who have supported reforming our trade policies believe the current DOHA Round framework is bad for the United States,” said Rep. Michaud, chair of the House Trade Working Group. “Instead of expanding the WTO model and its proven damage further, we need to turn around this agenda and make trade work again for all nations.”
“The deterioration in our nation’s trade accounts parallels the decline in our economy,” said Rep. Kaptur. “We have not had balance in our trade accounts since 1973. It is not a coincidence that the rise in the trade deficit mirrors the loss of manufacturing jobs.”
“As the U.S. prepares to attend the WTO Ministerial, we want to let President Obama know that we are ready to work with him to fulfill the promise we made to our constituents and the American people to develop a new model for trade instead of continuing the status quo,” Rep. Sutton said. “As we strive to climb out of this recession and into an economy that will work for ordinary Americans once again, we must have the courage to fix our broken trading system, not expand the reach of the WTO.”
