In a letter sent yesterday to President Obama, 67 new and returning Republican members of the House of Representatives expressed support for a comprehensive trade agenda, starting with passing the pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. The legislators applauded the president's goal to double exports by 2014, saying they believe expanding trade will increase economic growth and create jobs for American workers.
"We applaud this initiative because we know that deepening economic ties with our trading partners will create badly needed jobs for Americans," the letter said. "We believe that achieving the goal of doubling exports will require the implementation of these agreements."
In the letter, the legislators call for passing all three agreements within the next six months.
IDFA has worked with other business organizations to reach out to legislators, especially the freshman representatives, to reinforce the importance of opening new markets and removing trade barriers to the growth of U.S. economy and the dairy industry.
"We thank the representatives for supporting a robust trade agenda and calling for swift and decisive action on the pending trade agreements that are so critical for our economic growth," said John Kelly, IDFA manager of international affairs. "We especially thank Reps. Rick Berg (R-ND) and Tom Reed (R-NY) for driving this effort and gathering such strong commitment so early in the year."
For more information, contact Kelly at jkelly@idfa.org or (202)220-3507.