Free trade proposals are making strange bedfellows in the Florida congressional district with a conservative Republican backing President Barack Obama and a liberal Democrat pushing back against the White House.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Obama made the case for free trade even as he took a shot at its effectiveness in the past.
“21st century businesses, including small businesses, need to sell more American products overseas,” Obama said. “Today, our businesses export more than ever, and exporters tend to pay their workers higher wages. But as we speak, China wants to write the rules for the world’s fastest-growing region. That would put our workers and businesses at a disadvantage. Why would we let that happen? We should write those rules. We should level the playing field. That’s why I’m asking both parties to give me trade promotion authority to protect American workers, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren’t just free, but fair.
“Look, I’m the first one to admit that past trade deals haven’t always lived up to the hype, and that’s why we’ve gone after countries that break the rules at our expense,” Obama continued. “But 95 percent of the world’s customers live outside our borders, and we can’t close ourselves off from those opportunities. More than half of manufacturing executives have said they’re actively looking at bringing jobs back from China. Let’s give them one more reason to get it done.”
At least one Florida Republican promised this week to work with Obama on pushing free trade.
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., one of the senior members sitting on the U.S. House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, wrote Obama on Thursday, vowing to work with the White House on free-trade agreements. Buchanan supports the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP), an agreement with more than 10 Asian nations including Japan.
“In your State of the Union address you expressed a willingness to work with Congress on expanding international trade opportunities that will help grow the U.S. economy and create American jobs. Offer accepted,” Buchanan wrote.
“As a senior member of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, I understand that increasing access to foreign markets is critical to restoring America’s rightful standing as the world’s global leader,” Buchanan continued. “In your words ‘China wants to write the rules for the world’s fastest-growing region.’ We cannot allow this to happen.
“A pending free-trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other countries, including Japan, offers us a prime opportunity to turbo-charge our economy by eliminating tariffs and expanding American exports. The countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) account for 40 percent of global economic output and nearly a third of all world trade,” Buchanan added. “However, the best way to ensure an open and transparent process where American jobs and companies are protected is by passing Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation. Also known as ‘fast-track’ authority, TPA allows expedited consideration of trade agreements – provided that certain congressionally-dictated safeguards are met. TPA offers the ability to obtain an up-or-down vote on a trade agreement, which is critical to ensure that the U.S. maintains leverage in complex multination negotiations.”
But Buchanan pointed out to Obama that most of the opposition to TPA is coming from the left.
“Special interests and members of your own party have expressed opposition to TPA,” Buchanan wrote. “I would encourage you to personally reach out to these factions so we can build support for this critical legislation. A recent poll by the Business Round-table revealed the vast majority – more than 80 percent of Americans – support the U.S. negotiating trade agreements to expand market access for goods and services around the globe. I believe that increasing global demand for American products will lead to greater growth here at home.
“Bipartisan trade agreements could serve as an excellent example of what Washington can accomplish when both parties come together to help create jobs and increase America’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” Buchanan concluded. “Let’s get to work.”
Buchanan noted that Obama’s trade policies were drawing more heat from his fellow Democrats and that proved to be the case with U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla. This week, Grayson raised the stakes against free trade, gathering petitions through his “Trade Treachery” website. By Friday morning, Grayson had gathered around 10,500 supporters in his petition against free trade.
“Americans are creating tens of millions of jobs in other countries with our purchasing power, and we are losing tens of millions of jobs in our country, because foreigners are not buying our goods and services,” Grayson posted on the site. “We’re calling upon our leaders: We need a trade deficit policy, not another free trade policy.
“What are they doing?” Grayson asked. “They’re buying our assets. So we lose twice. We lose the jobs, and we are moving further toward national bankruptcy. That is the end game.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
