Agricultural News
Senate Finance Receives Trade Report
Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:02:45 CST
U.S. Trade representative Ron Kirk delivered to the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, President Obama’s 2010 Trade Policy Agenda and 2009 Annual Report. The 2010 outlook promises to seize new opportunities, and build on existing agreements to bring benefits of trade to American businesses and workers. Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley said I’m disappointed by some of the gaps I see in the level of detail provided by the President.
For example, Grassley pointed to the trade agenda which states that our government - will continue to engage with the Governments of Panama, Colombia, and Korea - as the Administration further refines its analysis of outstanding issues. But it doesn’t indicate where we are on that engagement, or when future meetings are planned with the governments of Colombia and South Korea to iron out resolutions to the Administration’s concerns. Grassley said the delay in implementation - hurts U.S. credibility around the world, not just economically, but geopolitically as well.
Grassley sees – some disconnect between enthusiasm for negotiating a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and the apparent lack of urgency to resolve the outstanding issues cited by the Administration as cause for delay in implementing our pending trade agreements. Grassley notes, - there may well be political reasons for this lack of urgency. But that doesn’t justify delay as good policy — quite the opposite.
Senate Ag Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln says - as we look for new markets for our exports, we must work to open trade with Cuba once and for all. Lincoln points out that - production of a safe and affordable food supply creates American jobs and is something we should not take for granted. Our producers have a quality product to offer the rest of the world and it is our job to give them the open markets to do so.
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