Business Roundtable Statement on Today’s House and Senate Committee Consideration of Free Trade Agreements

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commending both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Ways & Means for successfully completing “mock” markups of the pending Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, Business Roundtable President John Engler stated the following:

“Business Roundtable also supports Trade Adjustment Assistance, the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act. We urge the Administration and the House and Senate to quickly resolve any differences over TAA.”

“Today’s action in the House and Senate signals that bipartisan momentum to pass these vital trade agreements is real and growing. Chairmen Baucus and Camp are to be commended for their leadership and action to move the agreements forward.

“As international business leaders, Business Roundtable CEOs know from firsthand experience how important these three agreements are to ensuring that American companies and workers remain competitive in world markets and for sustaining and creating U.S. jobs. It is essential that the three trade agreements be submitted to and approved by Congress without further delay.

“Business Roundtable also supports Trade Adjustment Assistance, the Generalized System of Preferences and the Andean Trade Preference Act. We urge the Administration and the House and Senate to quickly resolve any differences over TAA.”

Business Roundtable (BRT) is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. companies with nearly $6 trillion in annual revenues and more than 13 million employees. BRT member companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock market and invest more than $114 billion annually in research and development – nearly half of all private U.S. R&D spending. Our companies pay more than $179 billion in dividends to shareholders.

BRT companies give nearly $9 billion a year in combined charitable contributions.

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