Carper Statement on Senate Passage of TPA & TAA

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

 “Today the Senate has made remarkable progress in opening up markets around the world to American goods and services. By approving Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), we’ve moved our country one step closer to negotiating trade deals that will help us compete and win in the global economy. I was proud to play a role in working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to move these critical pieces of legislation through the Senate. We’ve long known that 95 percent of the world’s markets are located outside of our borders, so by trusting one another and working together, we have moved our country one step closer to unlocking some of the fastest growing among them.

“The American market is open and our competitors are here, but U.S. goods and services face barriers that keep them from competing on a level playing field in international markets, or even getting there at all. By negotiating fair trade deals that remove these barriers, we can help boost the American economy, create American jobs, increase American wages and strengthen our national security.

“For Delaware, better trade deals mean increasing the more than $5 billion in goods we exported in 2014 and the nearly 25,000 jobs supported by those exports in the First State.

“The TPA bill passed today in the Senate is a historic agreement. For the first time, there are requirements for enforceable labor and environmental provisions. There is clear attention to issues like human rights. And there is enhanced transparency for Congress and the public as trade agreements are being negotiated. Similarly, TAA has been enhanced to help all workers displaced by trade retrain for new careers. These are by far the most far-reaching and progressive TPA and TAA agreements this country has ever seen.

“I hope my colleagues in the House will quickly take up this legislation after Memorial Day and get these bills to the president’s desk as soon as possible. President Obama has made it clear that his administration’s ability to negotiate the strongest trade deals possible for American workers and businesses depends on it.”

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