Analysis

Free-market groups support fast-track trade authority

April 23, 2015

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell:

On behalf of the free-market, taxpayer advocacy, and limited government grassroots and public policy organizations listed below, we urge you to pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as soon as possible.

TPA is a necessary step to get Congress moving on a long-stalled trade agenda. Without it, there is little hope that this Congress will make any progress on advancing free trade, a conservative public policy goal which all our organizations support.

TPA gives the executive branch the authority needed to finalize trade agreements, while Congress retains a robust amount of control, oversight, and transparency; ultimately Congress has an up-or-down vote on every specific trade agreement.

By definition, the term of this TPA will extend beyond the current administration and into the next one—the goal here is to advance America’s free trade agenda this century, and not to be mired in the stalled trade failures of the recent past.

We believe that tariffs are taxes on trade, and ultimately would like to see a world free of government interference in international commerce. Passing TPA is a necessary step toward getting the ball rolling on that long term policy goal, and we therefore urge you to pass Trade Promotion Authority.

Sincerely,

Amy Noone Frederick
60 Plus Association

Phil Kerpen
American Commitment

Dan Schneider
American Conservative Union

Stephen DeMaura
Americans for Job Security

Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform

Jeffrey L. Mazzella
Center for Individual Freedom

Chip Faulkner
Citizens for Limited Taxation

Iain Murray
Competitive Enterprise Institute

April Ponnuru
Conservative Reform Network

Thomas A. Schatz
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Steven J. Duffield
Crossroads GPS