In his most recent State of the Union Address, President Obama endorsed passage of Trade Promotion Authority– Congress’ authority to negotiate trade agreements and consider their results. The move could impact the progress of three major trade negotiations: The Trans Pacific Partnership, a deal pending among 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific rim; the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which would engage all of Europe; and the Trade In Services Agreement, which would update rules and remove barriers to services trade among 23 countries.
In the wake of this, the McDonough School of Business’ Center for Business and Public Policy will host the event “Trade Promotion Authority: Now, If Ever” on Jan. 27 at the Rayburn House Office Building. The event is the latest part of the school’s regular Georgetown on the Hill series.
As critics of Trade Promotion Authority call for more transparency in the negotiating process, they have clamored for better access to texts, more protections for labor and the environment and more protection against unfair foreign trade practices. A panel of the following experts will debate topics of national trade policy, especially focusing on these three pending trade negotiations:
- Doug Gaudie, director of international government affairs, Pfizer
- J. Bradford Jensen, professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and senior policy scholar at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy
- Thea Lea, deputy chief of staff, AFL-CIO
- Jeffrey Schott, senior fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Bob Vastine, senior industry and innovation fellow at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy
Those interested in attending the event should register online here.