AgWired

Bipartisan, bicameral Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation was introduced today in Congress that would put negotiations for new trade agreements that could benefit agriculture on the fast track.

The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) outlines negotiating objectives that must be followed by any administration when conducting trade talks while also increasing transparency by requiring that Congress see the full details of trade agreements well before they are signed.

“We look for quick action by Congress to provide the President with the authority to pursue agreements that open markets for America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusiness,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “U.S. agriculture’s interests are best served by ensuring America is at the table with strong negotiating authority.”

American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman says TPA is critical to expanding markets for agriculture. “TPA streamlines negotiations and strengthens our position at the bargaining table,” Stallman said. “We will cede potential markets and economic leadership to our competitors if we cannot negotiate and ratify trade agreements through TPA.”

National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling urged Congress to quickly pass the bill. “If we remove trade barriers and expand our access to global markets, American corn and livestock farmers can do even more,” said Bowling. “Trade Promotion Authority is critical to ensuring farmers get the best possible deal in trade agreements.”

Taking the opposite view, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson called the bill “a one way ticket to bigger trade deficits, more lost jobs and more economic devastation to America’s family farmers and ranchers.” Johnson says NFU favors “trade policy that prioritizes domestic food production and goods supply chains in lieu of policies that put family farmers and ranchers out of business and send some of our best jobs, and the dreams of America’s middle class, overseas.”

The administration has been strongly promoting the need for Congress to grant TPA to the president to move forward with negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP).

Prior to agreeing to the deal, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on trade priorities featuring testimony from administration officials, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Trade Representative Michael Froman. Listen to or download audio from some of their remarks below.