Opponents of trade agreements have spun up all kinds of fallacies in an attempt to stop bipartisan trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation, offered by Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). The latest, however, is perhaps the most ludicrous: that a pending trade agreement will somehow lead to restrictions on firearms and ammunition. Let’s just stop right there. Not gonna happen. Chairman Ryan is one of the strongest proponents of gun rights in Congress and would never allow trade agreeme... Read more

As Chairman Ryan has said: “If we sit by and do nothing, then China will write the rules of the global economy, particularly in Asia, to China's benefit. And that won't be to the benefit of the American worker.” This point was echoed today in The New York Times. They write that China is “setting up other trade pacts around the region so it can use its cash and enormous market leverage to strike deals more advantageous to its interests.” China’s giant presence in the region gives it inherent adv... Read more

Yesterday, former Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement to his nearly 11 million Facebook followers in support for trade promotion authority, or TPA, echoing the fact that stronger trade agreements will bring bigger markets and better-paying jobs to American workers. "It probably wouldn't be a bad rule of thumb to oppose anything President Obama supports. But Trade Promotion Authority is an exception. Admittedly, his ham-handed rally at Nike gives pause—he should instead have visi... Read more

WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked consideration of bipartisan trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation. "With TPA, we have the opportunity for a significant bipartisan achievement to grow the economy and reassert American leadership in the world. I hope my Democratic colleagues who support trade will reconsider their approach and allow the Senate to act. With so much at stake, we must continue to... Read more

This week marks National Small Business Week, so we should ask ourselves: How can we help America’s small businesses grow and thrive in the 21st-century economy? The answer is to open up new markets and help them compete for new customers around the world. And how do we do that? By passing trade promotion authority (TPA). With 96 percent of the world’s customers living outside the United States, we need policies that help our small businesses sell more of their products overseas. Indeed, more an... Read more

Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan: Putting Congress in Charge on Trade WSJ Editorial Board Endorsement: A Lift for Free Trade American Enterprise Institute: TPA Hits the Right Notes Washington Examiner Editorial Board Endorsement: Congress Should Pursue Trade Agreements with Optimism Bloomberg View, by Ramesh Ponnuru: Arguments Against TPA Don’t Hold Up Competitive Enterprise Institute: Why the TPA is Needed Investor’s Business Daily Editorial Board Endorsement: Fast Track the Trade Promotion Authority Nat... Read more

George Marshall testifying before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, June 1, 1948, on the European Recovery Program. (Photo by James Whitmore/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images) Free trade is about more than economics. It’s a critical part of our foreign policy and national security. And it’s long been. With the pending Trans-Pacfiic Partnership trade agreement providing a counter to China’s influence in Asia today, it’s instructive to look back at how trade played an important rol... Read more

A strong national security depends on trade, and the United States needs TPA to achieve it. That’s the message from a group of high-profile former military leaders. Seventeen retired generals, admirals, and secretaries of defense are offering their “strongest possible support” for trade promotion authority, citing the strategic imperative of pending trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. In a letter to congressional leaders, the bold names—including Petraeus, Panetta, Powell, Ru... Read more

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Opponents of free trade agreements are raising a stink about transparency in trade negotiations. But the truth is, if they really want to shed light on the negotiations, the best thing they can do is pass trade promotion authority (TPA). Our trading partners will make concessions and take down trade barriers to American products only if they trust that there will be discretion during the negotiations. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be effective congressional oversight and an informed public l... Read more