(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2832, the bill which renews the Generalized System of Preferences program and also contains the Trade Adjustment Extension Act of 2011.  This bill is the cornerstone of a carefully crafted bipartisan, bicameral agreement that prompted the President to send the three trade agreements to Congress last Monday and,… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that we have finally reached this important moment.  Next month we will mark five years since the United States and Colombia signed the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.  U.S. workers and job-creating exporters have had to wait for far too long for the President to submit this promising agreement to Congress, but… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strongly supporting passage of this legislation to implement the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.  This agreement and the others that we are considering today will give our economy a much needed shot in the arm by opening markets to our companies, workers, and farmers.  Plus, unlike some other plans that… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) As I’ve said already tonight, I’m excited to be here.  The U.S.-South Korea trade agreement is the most commercially significant trade agreement the United States has signed since I’ve been in Congress. The delay in implementing this agreement has been felt across the country.  If our exporters can’t compete because of high tariffs or non-tariff… Read more

(Remarks as Prepared) Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strongly supporting passage of this legislation, which renews the Generalized System of Preferences program and also reauthorizes a smaller Trade Adjustment Assistance program.  This bill is a key piece of the bipartisan trade package before us today and is crucial to letting the world know that the United States is back… Read more

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, recently released three reports highlighting the economic benefits that the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea will provide.  Below are key excerpts from the reports on each of the agreements, highlighting the importance of swift passage of all three agreements. COLOMBIA Advance U.S. Jobs and… Read more

This morning, the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a markup of the three long-pending, job-creating free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  All three agreements enjoy broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.  For too long, America has sat on the sidelines, losing ground to foreign competitors in nations that have already implemented… Read more

Thank you and welcome to the long-awaited markup of the three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea today. For the past five years, we have been working towards this day.  These agreements enjoy broad bipartisan, bicameral support, and are the product of a lot of hard work from all sides.  I would also like to extend my appreciation to the… Read more

Next month, we will mark five years since the United States and Colombia signed a trade agreement.  Yet that agreement and our agreements with Panama and South Korea still are not in force, at great cost to U.S. workers and job-creating exporters.  Although we were forced to wait for far too long, I am very pleased that President Obama submitted these agreements to Congress on… Read more

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement today after the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea were favorably reported out of Committee, thus clearing the way for formal consideration on the House floor: “Today has been five years in the making and could not come at a better time for American workers,… Read more