Collins sponsors resolution to protect trade remedy laws

Collins sponsors resolution to protect trade remedy laws    Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday she is cosponsoring a resolution urging the United States to oppose any efforts to weaken trade remedy laws during the upcoming World Trade Organization negotiations.
   Collins said some WTO members have suggested changes that she said would weaken trade remedy laws that protect U.S. industry from unfair trade practices.
   She pointed out industries in Maine ranging from softwood lumber to furniture use trade remedy laws to fight illegal practices by foreign competitors.
   'I hear from manufacturers in my state time and again whose efforts to compete successfully in the global economy simply cannot overcome the practices of illegal pricing and subsidies,' Collins said. 'The results of these unfair practices are lost jobs, shuttered factories, and decimated communities. Our trade laws give U.S. manufacturers the tools to fight back.'
   The WTO will be addressing antidumping and subsidies during the December meeting.