The National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council urge House members to vote Friday to approve new Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance measures when they reach the floor. TPA is central to negotiating trade agreements that could be beneficial to the United States. That prospect includes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership, and future free trade agreements. Trade Adjustment Assistance has been for years an important complement to TPA, which is why both pieces of legislation have moved in concert. We urge support for it as well.Without TPA, we cannot match our competitors' aggressiveness in pursuit of their trade agendas. With TPA, we can move our own agenda forward and ensure that our position in foreign markets is not eroded. TPA provides the leverage our negotiators need to conclude trade agreements that are good for the dairy industry. TPA also governs the rules for how Congress will review and approve trade agreements that meet the Congressional requirements laid out in TPA.
But a vote for TPA is not a vote for TPP or any other trade agreement. It does not prejudge the treaty terms themselves. Our negotiators are working hard to deliver a trade agreement that reflect the basic needs of the dairy industry. TPA allows negotiators to finish their job and then allows a meaningful debate on the merits of these agreements.
6.17.2015