Boehner talks economic ties in UK

by Jesse Byrnes - 03/28/15 11:48 AM ET

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) visited Northern England on Friday with his Republican colleagues to discuss economic ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Boehner and the House GOP delegation met with Britain’s chancellor of Exchequer, George Osborne, the government’s chief financial minister, to discuss U.S.-British ties over lunch at historic Peover Hall before touring the local facility for a U.S.-based company.

“We are grateful to Chancellor Osborne for welcoming us to his constituency and giving us a chance to see up-close the turnaround going on in the region, where American-based companies and British workers are teaming up every day,” Boehner said in a statement Saturday.

{mosads}”It is a testament to the power — and potential — of our economic partnership, and whether it’s trade, energy or manufacturing, there is no shortage of opportunities to deepen those ties,” Boehner added.

The U.S. is currently negotiating two major trade agreements: the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union, and the controversial 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). A deal on the TPP could be reached sometime this spring.

Congress is working on trade promotion authority, also known as a fast-track for passing pending trade agreements the Obama administration is negotiating.

The GOP trip also focused on the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“Another vital concern our constituents know all too well is the threat of terrorism, and we discussed our shared efforts to support our allies and defeat ISIL,” Boehner said, using an alternate acronym for the group.

Alongside Boehner were Republcians that lead various House committees or subcommittees focused on security and financial issues, including Reps. Devin Nunes (Calif.), John Kline (Minn.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), Rodney Frelinghuysen (N.J.), Tom Cole (Okla.), Ken Calvert (Calif.), Mike Simpson (Ind.), Martha Roby (Ala.) and George Holding (N.C.).

Tags John Boehner