CONTACT: Bob Vastine (CSI) 202 289 7460 x 21

LEADING SECTORAL ORGANIZATIONS BACK EXTENSION OF TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY (TPA)

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 2, 2006—Today the leading American agriculture, manufacturing and services organizations called for the extension of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to enable the United States to continue negotiating trade agreements.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Coalition of Service Industries (CSI), which represent sectors accounting for 96 percent of total U.S. exports, will work together to ensure continued U.S. leadership in the on-going Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and opening foreign markets through bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

“The American Farm Bureau Federation supports the effort to reduce trade barriers and expand markets for U.S. agriculture, which hinges on presidential trade negotiating authority,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “TPA is critical if we want other countries to engage in serious negotiations with the United States. U.S. agriculture relies on overseas markets and gaining access to those markets is vital to the overall success of farmers and ranchers. Agriculture’s ability to compete in global markets, on fair terms, with better access to expanding markets is dependent on TPA.” 

“The reality is that the President’s TPA authority expires in less than one year and we can’t afford to let big opportunities like the Doha Round and bi-lateral FTAs with Korea and Malaysia, just to name a few, slip away because the window of opportunity closed,” said NAM President John Engler. “Without TPA, it will be nearly impossible to get these and other important market opening agreements before Congress.  It is essential that TPA be extended to allow the United Stated to continue aggressively knocking down foreign barriers for U.S. manufacturers. The NAM will play a central role in the quest for TPA renewal at the appropriate time.”

“A successful WTO negotiation would open up markets around the world for a broad range of services in which US companies are extremely competitive.  The service sector represents 80 percent of US economic output and the same portion of private employment in the United States, and will account for virtually all new job creation in the coming years,” said CSI’s Chairman Norman Sorensen.  “It could not be more clear that a successful Round is good for US companies, jobs and exports. It is equally clear that TPA extension is needed if we are to reap these benefits.”

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The American Farm Bureau Federation is the nation’s largest general farm organization with affiliates in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

For more information, visit www.fb.org. 

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states.  

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 10 additional offices across the country.  Visit the NAM’s award-winning web site at www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy. 

The Coalition of Service Industries is the leading U.S. business association representing companies across a broad spectrum of service sectors. CSI is dedicated to reducing barriers to U.S. services exports and mobilizing support for domestic U.S. policies, including tax policies, which enhance the global competitiveness of its members. CSI was formed in 1982 to ensure that U.S. trade in services would become a central goal of U.S. trade policy and trade negotiations. It played a major role in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and in the advocacy effort leading to the 1997 World Trade Organization (WTO) Basic Telecommunications and Financial Services Agreements. CSI's knowledge of the process of services trade negotiations, its ties to the WTO and its network of relationships with governments and industry in other countries are unmatched.

For a complete list of CSI members, visit our website at www.uscsi.org.