(Archived Content)
One week ago, President Bush made a major statement calling on the United States Senate to bring Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to the Senate floor by April 22. This statement may not have gotten all the attention it deserved, with the media spotlight on his decision earlier in the same day to send Secretary Powell to the Middle East. But it was unequivocal.
The President said, 'I believe strongly in trade. I believe not only is trade in my nation's interests, I think trade is in the interest of those nations who struggle with poverty, and that desire a route out of poverty.' He hailed our recent work to advance the Doha round, and the success of WTO countries represented here in bringing both China and Taiwan into the WTO last year.
He also noted that some 150 preferential trade agreements exist in the world today. The United States is a party to only three of these 150, considerably short of the European Union's 31 or even Mexico's 10. And he expressed our desire to reassert America's leadership on trade.
We view Trade Promotion Authority - the ability for the executive branch to negotiate the details of trade agreements and then submit them to Congress for approval in a simple up-or-down vote as an essential legislative component of our free trade strategy.
This administration intends to advance free trade worldwide, through every means available.