Obama Administration Sets 2010 Trade Policy Agenda

Originally published March 4, 2010

Keywords: Obama administration, congress, 2010 trade policy agenda, trade, economic growth, global economic recovery

On March 1, the Obama Administration sent Congress its Trade Policy Agenda for 2010. In it, the Administration uses very strong rhetoric to underscore the critical role of trade in supporting American exports, jobs and economic growth, including global economic recovery. The Administration notes that despite last year's recession, the "world decisively rejected a protectionist panic," that to "improve American prosperity, we must match other counties in seeking new international markets aggressively" and that "collectively, the community of nations has to break down long-standing barriers to trade and investment as well as newer impediments that obstruct trade and slow economic integration." However, in contrast to its agenda for 2009, the Administration is less concrete about when and how it will take many actions to achieve those goals.

Highlights of the Trade Policy Agenda include key commitments to:

Support and strengthen a rules-based trading system. The US strongly supports an ambitious and balanced Doha trade agreement that liberalizes three core market access areas: agriculture, goods and services. The Administration states in no uncertain terms that the advanced developing economies must "accept responsibility commensurate with their growing economic influence," and highlights sector-specific goals in manufacturing — for chemicals, electronics, health care products and industrial machinery — and in services —for financial services, information and communications technology, distribution, energy and express delivery. The G20 Leaders' call to complete Doha is referenced in the Agenda, but their deadline of 2010 is not. While the deadline is noted in the longer report chronicling 2009, the Agenda also states that "the challenge in 2010 will continue to be how to translate the expressions of political will, into concrete and specific details." Taken in combination, this could be the first official hints that the deadline will be missed. Enforce American rights in the rules-based trading system. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) will strengthen its monitoring and enforcement of US trade rights, bring cases at the World Trade Organization (WTO) as necessary, and increase its focus on non-tariff barriers that hinder US exports. Specifically, discriminatory "barriers that...