The Office of the United States Trade Representative has prepared and submitted to Congress the 2017 Trade Policy Agenda of the President of the United States. USTR intends to submit a more detailed report of President Trump’s trade policy agenda after the Senate has confirmed a USTR and has the full opportunity to participate in developing the agenda. The 2017 Trade Policy Agenda and 2016 Annual Report provides a review of past and present, trade negotiations and partnerships, as well as some of the Administration’s goals for moving forward in the global market.
“The overarching purpose of our trade policy–the guiding principle behind all of our actions in this key area will be to expand trade in a way that is freer and fairer for all Americans. Every action we take with respect to trade will be designed to increase our economic growth; promote job creation in the United States; promote reciprocity with our trading partners; strengthen our manufacturing base and our ability to defend ourselves; and expand our agricultural and services industry exports,” the report’s introduction stated.
“As a general matter, we believe that these goals can be best accomplished by focusing on bilateral negotiations rather than multilateral negotiations and by renegotiating and revising trade agreement when our goals are not being met. Finally, we reject the notion that the Untied States should, for putative geopolitical advantage, turn a blind eye to unfair trade practices that disadvantate American workers, farms, ranchers, and businesses in global markets,” according to the USTR report.
Key goals of the agenda include: increasing domestic economic growth and job creation; addressing trade barriers to U.S. exports, such as agricultural products; and, ensuring fair labor practices. The White House also states its goals for updating current trade agreements through negotiation, citing existing trade deficits.
Of interest to agriculture will be the continued monitoring of trade concerns related to sanitary and phytosanitary standards, as well as the administration of anti-dumping laws in other countries. The United States will also continue to participate in the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Agriculture, where representatives will monitor commitments made regarding market access, trade practices, and export subsidies.
The Administration reiterated its goals of initiating new bilateral talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries following the United States’ exit from those negotiations. Next steps for the Administration will be to consult with Congress on future trade agreements and build a strong team to advocate for the United States during trade discussions.
