Maine Madness

As we prepare to celebrate our national day of independence, shippers should be made aware of pending moves by a congressman from Maine that may soon pose a threat to free trade.

Maine’s Mike Michaud, Chairman of the House Trade Working Group, announced that 106 Members of Congress have joined to introduce the “Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act,” (H.R. 3012) — a bill that would mandate trade pact reviews and congressional oversight of future trade agreements.

Inmates, in other words, will be running the asylum.

Endorsed by more than a dozen of the most trade-resistant unions and other radical leftist organizations, the TRADE Act is designed to advance protectionist policy which may reverse whatever progress has so far been made toward economic recovery.

According to a summary of key provisions, the TRADE Act would, among other things:

*Require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to “conduct a comprehensive review  of the major trade pacts that comprise the model on which U.S. trade agreement[s] have been based.”

*Define key provisions that should be included in future trade agreements, as well as

 provisions that should not be included, in order to provide "broader benefits."

*Define the “environmental and labor, food and product safety, agriculture, trade

 remedy, human rights, federalism safeguard and currency anti-manipulation rules and national  security exceptions” that are to be included in future trade agreements.

*Require the President to create a renegotiation plan to address certain “gaps” that

 exist between the current agreements and the criteria for what should and should not be

 included.

*Replace the “Fast Track” negotiating process in order to obtain agreements to benefit a  “wider array of interests.”

For more summer reading, “Critical Cargoes” recommends the full text of the bill, which can be found here: http://www.michaud.house.gov/images//tradeactfinal.pdf