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Tom Reed voted last week to support legislation which will hold the Obama Administration accountable and ensure transparency for the American people when the government negotiates trade agreements.

"I believe that we have to ensure the President is accountable to not only Congress, but the American people," said Reed. "Trade Promotion Authority ensures Congress has the final say on trade agreements, by giving us an opportunity to vote on anything that the President brings to us, but only after the minimum standards are met and 60 days have passed. If the agreement is not a good deal for the American people, I will not vote for it."

Trade Promotion Authority is not a trade agreement. Rather, it is simply a mechanism to ensure that Congress has the final say for future trade agreements, like Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Trade Promotion Authority establishes over 150 baseline conditions that the President must meet when negotiating trade deals with foreign nations, as required by the United States Constitution.  The intention is to stop foreign nations from cutting their business costs unethically, which often undercuts American workers and businesses.

"With 95% of the world's population living outside of America's borders, we have to make sure the American worker has access to foreign markets on a level playing field. Trade Promotion Authority helps make that happen," said Reed.  "In order to create more opportunity and more high-paying jobs here at home, we need to sell more American-made products and services overseas."

Additionally, the legislation ensures that the public has the same access to trade deals as the Congress and the President, by making every trade deal available to the public for 60 days prior to the Congressional vote on the proposals.  This holding period provides the opportunity for the American people to have their voices heard on trade agreements.

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