House Ag Committee Focuses on Trade Policy
Cuba a large part of what committee examined.
Compiled by staff
Published: Apr 29, 2010
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business held a hearing Wednesday evaluating the impact of small business trade policy on job creation and economic growth. Two pieces of legislation were focused on. H.R. 4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, sponsored by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., would open a market for small agriculture and businesses in Cuba. The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act, sponsored by Representative Michael Michaud, would force the United States to revisit past trade agreements to ensure all aspects of the agreement are being fulfilled.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson told the panel that trade policy isn't like flipping a quarter with only two outcomes, heads or tails, but more like rolling a six-sided die. Johnson said trade policy must take into consideration domestic producers, imports, exports, the World Trade Organization, jobs and the effects on the market due to supply and demand shifts.
"The U.S. has many foreign policies to help starving people around the world; we provide food, help develop infrastructure and are currently focusing on helping with rural development activities in poor countries," Johnson said. "Too often we follow trade policies that insist on the U.S. having market access to the same struggling farmers who are hungry; we need to do a better job of aligning our humanitarian and economic development policies with trade policies to avoid them working at cross purposes."
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