Sen. Cruz and Rep. Ryan Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal: 'Putting Congress in Charge on Trade'
An excerpt of the Senator's op-ed is below. Full article may be viewed at here.
Putting Congreess in Charge on Trade
Wall Street Journal
By: Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Ryan
April 21, 2015
The United States is making headway on two historic trade agreements, one with 11 countries on the Pacific Rim and another with America's friends in Europe. These two agreements alone would mean greater access to a billion customers for American manufacturers, farmers and ranchers.
But before the U.S. can complete the agreements, Congress needs to strengthen the country's bargaining position by establishing trade-promotion authority, also known as TPA, which is an arrangement between Congress and the president for negotiating and considering trade agreements. In short, TPA is what U.S. negotiators need to win a fair deal for the American worker.
There is a lot at stake. One in five American jobs depends on trade, and that share is only going to grow. Ninety-six percent of the world's customers are outside the U.S. To create more jobs here, America needs to sell more goods and services over there. When that happens, the American worker benefits. Manufacturing jobs tied to trade pay 16% more on average, according to a study released by the independent U.S. International Trade Commission.
Right now, though, the American worker isn't competing on a level playing field against many overseas economies. The U.S. economy is one of the most open in the world-and for good reason. Thanks to lower duties on imports, the average American family saves $13,600 a year, according to a study by HSBC But other countries put up trade barriers that drive up prices for U.S. goods and services and make it hard to sell them there.
The American worker can compete with anybody, if given a fair chance. If you add up all 20 countries that the U.S. has a trade agreement with, American manufacturers run a $50 billion trade surplus with them. The problem is that not all countries have a trade agreement with the U.S.; American manufacturers run a $500 billion trade deficit with those nations. That is why the U.S. needs effective trade agreements to lay down fair and strong rules that level the playing field. Without such rules, America's trading partners will keep stacking the deck against job creators in this country.
But Congress can't just take the administration's word that it will drive a hard bargain. We have to hold it accountable, and that is what trade-promotion authority will help do.
Full article may be viewed here.
