Republicans Comment on Two Pending Trade Agreements and Call on the Administration to Defend America’s Competitiveness

The following press release was published by the U.S. Congress Committee on Ways and Means on Sept. 25, 2009. It is reproduced in full below.

Washington, DC- Republican Leaders, all Ways & Means Republicans, and other Republican Members today sent U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk letters in response to the Administration’s request for comments on the pending Colombia and South Korea trade agreements. Attached to these letters is an analysis showing the significant economic harm to American exports of continued delay, which would give Canada and the European Union a competitive advantage in these important markets and put U.S. jobs at risk.

Links to the letters and the economic analysis are provided below:

Comments on U.S-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement

Comments on U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement

America Falling Behind Analysis

List of Republican Member signatories below:

Republican Leader John Boehner

Republican Whip Eric Cantor Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp

Rules Committee Ranking Member David Dreier Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Kevin Brady Rep. Wally Herger

Rep. Sam Johnson

Rep. Paul Ryan Rep. John Linder

Rep. Devin Nunes

Rep. Pat Tiberi

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite

Rep. Geoff Davis Rep. Dave Reichert

Rep. Charles Boustany Rep. Dean Heller Rep. Peter Roskam Rep. Jack Kingston Rep. Pete Sessions Rep. Anh “Joseph" Cao Rep. Erik Paulsen

Source: U.S. Congress Committee on Ways and Means