THE TTALK QUOTES 

On Global Trade & Investment

 

Published Three (Sometimes Four) Times a Week By

The Global Business Dialogue, Inc.

Washington, DC   Tel: 202-463-5074

Email: [email protected]

 

No. 24 of 2014 

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014     

 

   

Filed from Portland, Oregon  

     

Click here for last Friday's quote from Ambassador Froman. 
A GOOD AGREEMENT IS THE ONLY GUARANTEE

"Ultimately, the only guarantee that an agreement is going to achieve the support of Congress is that we bring back a good agreement."

Michael Froman
April 3, 2014
CONTEXT
As we noted earlier, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman was the only witness in the Ways and Means Committee hearing last Thursday, April 3, on President Obama's Trade Policy Agenda.     Later this week, we'll take a stab at illustrating the sweep of that hearing and the array of concerns expressed by members of the Committee.   Today's focus is on the relationship between international negotiations on the one hand and America's domestic processes for dealing with trade agreements on the other.

The issue was central to the hearing and came up repeatedly.  Our featured quote was from an exchange between Ambassador Froman and Congressman Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Florida.  Here is more from that segment:

RESPONDING TO REPRESENTATIVE BUCHANAN'S QUESTION

MR. BUCHANAN:  "In your mind, how important is the TPA, getting that done quickly, from your standpoint?"

AMBASSADOR FROMAN: "Well, as we have said, TPA is a critical tool for opening markets, but ultimately, the only guarantee that an agreement is going to achieve the support of Congress is that we bring back a good agreement.  And so our focus in TPP right now and T-TIP is on the substance of those agreements and focusing with our trading partners on bringing back the kind of agreement that we know Congress and our stakeholders and the American public will demand in order to get their support. And that is what our focus is."

As that exchange continued, Ambassador Froman said the Administration welcomed the introduction of the TPA legislation.  This was the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014, identical versions of which were introduced in the House (H.R. 3839) and the Senate (S. 1900) on January 9.  He also took note of the fact that the leadership of the Finance Committee has changed since then.  Former Senator Baucus is now America's ambassador to China, and the Committee's new chairman, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is in the process of consulting with his colleagues on TPA legislation. 

COMMENT
On one level, Ambassador Froman's response to Congressman Buchanan is unassailable and very positive.  Logically, having a good agreement, whether TPP, T-TIP, or one of several others, is indeed a sine qua non for getting Congress to approve it. 

On the other hand, it has a different feel if your focus is TPA.   In his opening statement, Mr. Camp highlighted several negotiations - not just TPP and T-TIP, but also Trade in Services, Informational Technology, a new WTO negotiation on trade in environmental goods and others.   "To conclude and implement these agreements," he said, "we need to pass trade promotion authority legislation."  He told Ambassador Froman that, to do that, to pass TPA, "we need full engagement by the President himself and his entire Administration."

If that was a request, it is hard to read Ambassador Froman's comments as a strong, affirmative response.  Certainly one could argue that, realistically, TPA is simply out of reach right now.  And the Ranking Member of the Committee, Sander Levin (D-MI) thinks that it should be, at least in its current form, because, he said, it doesn't provide the necessary guidance.

We may be misreading him, but our impression of Congressman Rangel's (D-NY) very brief comment on the issue was that he sees TPA legislation as a goal for the Quixotic column.  Like many others, he complimented Chairman Camp on his leadership of the Committee.  "Let me join with those people that congratulate you [Chairman Camp] for your tenacity and the ability to bring people together," he said. 

He added: "If you can bring Republicans and Democrats together on this bill [we assume TPA], that would be fantastic, but ..."

SOURCES & LINKS
White A Ways and Means Hearing is a link to the page on the Ways and Means Committee website where the reader will find options for listening to or watching the Committee April 3 hearing on the President Obama's Trade Policy Agenda.
 
The Chairman's Statement is the opening statement of Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp at the April 3, 2014, hearing on the President's trade agenda.

A TPA Introduction is a link to the TTALK Quote of January 15, 2014, in which we highlighted the statement of then Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus on the introduction of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act of 2014.
SUBSCRIBE
If you want to receive these TTALK Quotes, we're happy to send them to you.  That's the deal.  If you want to help and ensure that they keep coming, please


SUBSCRIBE NOW
It's just $50 a year.  Click here and you' re done.

Buy Now
Thank you.

Note: GBD Members are already subscribers and we thank them for their membership and support.

 

 

 

 

TO GET THE TTALK DAILY QUOTE IN YOUR INBOX

 

Or Other GBD Notices, Click below. 

Join Our Mailing List

 

� 2014 The Global Business Dialogue, Inc.

1140 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 950

Washington, DC   20036

Tel: (202) 463-5074

R. K. Morris, Editor

www.gbdinc.org