Washington, D.C. – Congressional leadership let down American manufacturers and workers Thursday when it included weak, non-enforceable language on trade law remedies and currency manipulation in the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) draft.
Said Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul:
“Trade policy must put our workers and American manufacturers front and center. The TPA bill draft doesn’t accomplish that. We know from experience that negotiating objectives, no matter how well intended, can and will be completely ignored.
"The more important question is how does our trade policy substantively change for the better. That’s why we’ll be working closely with lawmakers from both parties to ensure that our trade laws are reformed and modernized to guarantee a truly level playing field. U.S. companies and American workers should not have to suffer plant closures and layoffs before they can get relief under our trade laws.
"We will also insist that currency manipulation be deterred in our domestic laws as well as within the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership.
"As this process moves forward, there is a lot of work to be done to make trade work for more Americans, particularly at a time when we see factory layoffs resulting from surging imports.”
In a letter to leadership on Tuesday, AAM outlined that a smart trade agenda should enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements; strengthen enforcement and administration of U.S. trade laws; deter currency manipulation; enforce trade at the border; and address global overcapacity.
###