Obama keeps pushing a Trans Atlantic trade deal with Europe, despite the fact that other trade deals have helped make the trade deficit worse.
One of the goals for Europeans is to get rid of Buy American rules in the U.S.
In particular, the [European Union] wants to pry open so-called public procurement markets and scrap “Buy American” clauses that restrict the ability of European companies to sell goods and services to states and cities.
The U.S. public strongly believes their taxpayer dollars should be spent procuring from U.S. companies and workers. A majority in Congress votes for Buy American rules in infrastructure and other bills. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) have been leading the efforts recently. How can a fiscal stimulus have an impact if we buy foreign goods with taxpayer money? That’s one difference between the FDR stimulus of the Great Depression and the smaller Obama stimulus of the Great Recession… offshore leakage of the government spending.
It’s not surprising that Europe wants to replace U.S. businesses and workers in government contracts. The U.S. federal government is the biggest consumer in the world… and when you add in the state and local governments, it’s really big. From the U.S. side there is simply no way we’d come away with a net benefit with theoretical market access by our so-called “U.S.” multinationals (who don’t really consider themselves U.S. anymore) to other smaller government procurement markets. It simply doesn’t ever work that way.
I’m not sure where the Obama Administration is coming from on this. The biggest source of jobs and growth will come from reducing the trade deficit. We had a record $735B goods trade deficit last year, including a $300B goods deficit with China. Trade deals simply don’t help the trade deficit, usually make things worse, and tie our hands for fixing the problem.
This is a perfect time to do what we ask in reference to illegal drug use.
JUST SAY “NO”!!!!!!
Then require all goods from other countries to be labeled as to country of origin.
I won’t have a problem buying goods from other countries that are good traders as long as I can use my purchasing power to deny the purchase of goods by those who are abusing trade (it is really the globalists that are the problem).
Amen. We must use our collective clout as consumers. Please watch and share our video at http://www.americanmadematters.com.
I do agree that we need to use our collective clout as consumers but the US Trade Representative seems to want to make trade deals that benefit the few who are pushing them while selling out the national interests of a strong economy.
We must not depend solely on consumers doing the right thing as the trade deals that are made with country labeling reduced would be taking information away from consumers. The whole idea of Europeans or any other trading partner controlling this aspect of information to consumers is being pushed by global traders so their business models will not have interference from that information. It is about as dictatorial as you can get. It is using the what I call the second tier forces to stop transparency and takes the ability away from consumers to decide in the marketplace their consumer vote.
Thanks, Don, on your Buy American efforts. I wish the USTR was as interested in these goals as you are.
Tom T.