Grassley calls for more action on trade

“According to the National Association of Manufacturers, [today’s] legislation supports 90,000 jobs,” Grassley said in prepared remarks. “That’s a good start. We should build on that by moving to implement our pending trade agreement without delay.”

Republicans have tried for years to advance trade pacts with Colombia, Panama and North Korea only to be rebuffed by some Democrats who contend implementing them will cause U.S. jobs to slip offshore. 

Obama has called on Congress to pass these agreements, and some argue it would help to bolster our sluggish economic recovery. But some Democrats contend improvements in workers’ rights and greater protections for the environment must be a part of any pact that is implemented.

Today’s bill that was signed into law reduces and suspends tariffs on certain materials U.S. companies must import to make their products. The measure seeks to make it cheaper for manufacturers to get the materials they need to make products domestically.