USTR Kirk Testifies before House Ways and Means on Trade Issues

During the February 29, 2012 House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the President’s trade agenda, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk testified that the U.S. is working with the governments of Columbia and Panama to fulfill their commitments so their free trade agreements can take effect soon. He stated that the administration wants to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks this year with an agreement that will address cross-cutting issues such as promoting regulatory coherence among countries, enhancing the participation of small businesses in Asia-Pacific trade, and building regional supply chains that promote U.S. jobs.

He also noted the Administration will be exploring issues regarding additional trade promotion authority (TPA) necessary to approve the TPP and future trade agreements, and acknowledged the Administration will seek termination of Russia’s Jackson-Vanik status as soon as possible to ensure that American firms enjoy the same job-supporting benefits of Russia’s World Trade Organization (WTO) membership as their international competitors.

Kirk’s testimony can be found here.

(See ITT’s Online Archives 11122224 for details on Russia’s Jackson-Vanik status and Russia’s WTO membership.)