Governors urge Congress to pass FTAs, TAA

Governors urge Congress to pass FTAs, TAA    Twenty-three state governors and two from U.S. territories urged House and Senate leadership to approve three pending free trade agreements, and reinstate the Trade Adjustment Assistance program and the president's fast-track trade negotiation authority.
   'Export-related jobs pay better than non-exporting industries, and, with nearly 95 percent of the world's consumers living outside the U.S., exports have been the focus of increased job growth in recent years,' the governors wrote in a letter this week.
   The governors highlighted the trade balance benefits of existing U.S. FTAs with Chile, Singapore, Australia, Israel and Jordan. They believe that similar benefits will come from the approval of FTAs with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
   'We must think holistically about international trade and recognize that world trade can cause economic adjustments that require training and temporary support to individuals in impacted industries,' the governors said. 'As such, the TAA program, which was first established in 1963, is a critical program to move in tandem with free trade agreements in order to help American workers adapt to changes in the global marketplace and assist them in securing new opportunities in which they can excel.'
   The bipartisan group of governors also want the president to have fast-track trade negotiation authority to pursue new FTAs.
   'President Obama should hold the same authority to conclude complex trade agreements in a timely manner that can keep up with our global counterparts,' they said. 'Without fast-track authority, the United States' ability to expand and open markets around the world is constrained significantly, and U.S. businesses and agricultural producers will likely lose market opportunities and jobs to other countries.'
   The governors who signed the letter hail from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.