Manufacturers Back Obama's Trade Policy

The National Association of Manufacturers is backing the Obama administration’s Trade Policy Agenda, released March 2 by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The agenda “is a pragmatic agenda and one we believe could benefit America’s manufacturers,” says Frank Vargo, vice president for international economic affairs at the National Association of Manufacturers. “All of us at the NAM are eager to roll up our shirtsleeves and work with the president’s new trade team and the Congress for an effective export policy,” Vargo said.

He said the Obama administration “is reaching out to all stakeholders in framing its agenda, and since manufacturers account for over 90 percent of America’s non-petroleum merchandise trade, we are looking forward to working with the Administration for an agenda that will benefit America’s manufacturers and their workers.”

Vargo added that the new agenda “talks about improving trade agreements rather than reopening them, and it calls for greater emphasis on seeing that small and medium-sized firms can become more effective exporters and competitors in the global economy — a very important goal for the NAM, the majority of whose members are small and medium-sized firms.”

Obama’s approach to existing trade agreements is a major concern for U.S. trading partners — especially Canada and Mexico. The administration tried to calm fears of protectionism in its agenda by pledging to work with those countries to identify ways in which the North American Free Trade Agreement “could be improved” without having an adverse effect on trade.

“We will do this in a collaborative spirit and emphasize ways in which this process can benefit the citizens of all three countries,” the agenda states.

“We were pleased to see that the agenda calls for correcting the current imbalance in the Doha Round, and seeking a strong and balanced market-opening outcome,” said Vargo.

“The NAM has been pressing hard for such an approach and will work closely with the president’s trade team to achieve that important goal.”

The White House also said it would work on proposed free trade agreements with Panama, Columbia and South Korea inherited from the Bush administration.