Press Releases

(As prepared for delivery)

Ambassador Tai, welcome back to the Committee. Since your first Trade Agenda hearing, President Biden has led a strong and sustainable recovery, focused on workers. More jobs have been created under his leadership in just two years than under any other president in a full term. Wages are on the rise, and our investments in our supply chains and infrastructure are bringing weight back to “Made in America.” This is how you rebuild an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, and I’m grateful for your leadership in connecting this to our worker-centric trade agenda.

As our nation’s lead trade negotiator, you have put American workers and businesses first while strengthening relationships with global allies. And under your leadership, the United States has now used the USMCA’s Rapid Response Labor Mechanism seven times—standing up for workers’ rights and showing the world what’s possible with strong enforcement mechanisms.

Last year, this Committee took decisive action on a bipartisan basis to hold Russia accountable for its horrific, unprovoked war on Ukraine. We banned Russian energy imports and suspended normal trade relations to inflict substantial economic pressure on Putin’s regime. Ambassador Tai, I encourage you to continue working with our partners and allies in isolating Putin and improving global supply chain resiliency.

Even in the face of these atrocities, we’ve seen unparalleled unity with our allies. Now is the time to capitalize on our connections and strengthen our economic ties, especially in Europe and Africa.

I had the opportunity to visit the World Trade Organization last year, meeting with many of our allies, yearning for deeper U.S. engagement. I applaud your commitment to strengthening the institution and commend you on delivering a successful outcome for MC12.  I have seen first-hand the positive impact the WTO has had on global commerce, but more reforms are still needed, especially with dispute settlement. I share your concerns with recent rulings on the natural security exception, which must be addressed to maintain the integrity of the organization.

You have embraced our climate as a key trade priority. Ways and Means Democrats proudly contributed the largest federal investment to protect our climate to the Inflation Reduction Act. These types of worker-focused economic and trade investments not only protect our planet but also create good-paying jobs. Looking ahead, strong environmental protections, workers’ rights, and human rights are interconnected. In combatting this crisis, guardrails will need to be put in place to ensure that one environmental problem is not replaced with another. There are plenty of lessons to learn from the past, and the climate solutions of the future must be grounded in those lessons.

As you know well, Ambassador Tai, House Democrats fought hard to establish a new structure for aggressive enforcement of the USMCA and to back it up with the necessary funding for commensurate enforcement actions.

USMCA now stands as a powerful beacon for what’s possible when it comes to durable, enforceable trade agreements. And I credit that to the work and consensus-building of Congress. It is the collaboration between Congress and the Executive that allows trade policy to live up to its fullest potential, and in this critical moment, that cannot be forgotten.  I saw my Senate colleagues delivered this message yesterday, and I echo their concerns.

We seek long-lasting solutions, just as you do, and we firmly believe that when done right, trade is a powerful driver of good-paying, quality jobs, and a thriving economy. Let’s continue to do this work together. Thank you again for being here, Ambassador Tai, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.