Congressman Sander Levin

Trade

As Chair of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, I am working to dramatically change U.S. trade policy. I believe that U.S. businesses and workers can compete in the global marketplace if the playing field is level, the rules of competition are fair, and unfair barriers to our products are knocked down.

The cascade of economic events both at home and abroad make it clear we are facing an unprecedented crisis and reminds us the globe is smaller and more interconnected than we ever imagined. All of the world should know that the United States will continue to lead in the era of international economics and globalization. This is not the time to turn inward, and we will not. We must use trade to shape globalization so that we maximize its benefits and minimize its downsides.

The first piece of trade legislation I introduced this year was a trade enforcement bill. To promote a trade agenda that reflects American values, we need to ensure that U.S. workers, farmers, and businesses are getting a fair shake in the global marketplace and U.S consumers have confidence that the products they buy are safe. H.R. 496, the Trade Enforcement Act of 2009, will help make this possible. The bill will open foreign markets for American exporters, strengthen our trade remedies against unfairly traded imports, improve import safety, and combat counterfeit and pirated imports. Click here to read a summary of the legislation

I have also been fighting to incorporate worker rights in trade agreements. Click here to read an article I wrote on this subject.

At the same time, we fix our trade policy, we must also overhaul the programs that assist workers in transitioning to new and better jobs. As part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act I worked to include an expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program so that it covers more workers and provides more training as individuals transition from one job to another. Click here to review the improvement to the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

>>Levin Speech on the 2009 Trade Agenda

>>Decision on Tire Imports from China - The Facts