June 10, 2015
Dear Members of the House of Representatives:
On behalf of the free market, taxpayer advocacy, limited government grassroots, and public policy organizations listed below, we urge you to pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as soon as possible.
The Senate has already acted to move forward with this important piece of legislation and now it is time for the House to do the same. TPA is a necessary step to get Congress moving on a long-stalled trade agenda. Without it, there is little hope that this Congress can make any progress on advancing free trade, a conservative public policy goal which all our organizations support.
The Senate-passed TPA bill gives the executive branch the authority needed to finalize trade agreements, with Congress retaining a robust amount of control, oversight, and transparency. Ultimately, Congress will have an up-or-down vote on every specific trade agreement.
By definition, the term of this TPA will extend beyond the current administration and into the next one. The goal of TPA is to advance America’s free trade agenda this century, and not to be mired in the stalled trade failures of the recent past.
We believe that tariffs are taxes on trade, and ultimately would like to see a world free of government interference in international commerce. Passing TPA is a necessary step toward getting the ball rolling on that long term policy goal, and we therefore urge you to pass Trade Promotion Authority.
Sincerely,
David Williams
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Amy Noone Frederick
60 Plus Association
Dan Greenberg
Advance Arkansas Institute
Phil Kerpen
American Commitment
Grover Norquist
Americans for Tax Reform
Jeff Mazzella
Center for Individual Freedom
Keith Pauley
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
Tom Schatz
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Iain Murray
Competitive Enterprise Institute
April Ponnuru
Conservative Reform Network
Steven J. Duffield
Crossroads GPS
Katie McAuliffe
Digital Liberty
George Landrith
Frontiers of Freedom
Louie Hunter
Georgia Center Right Coalition
Andrew Langer
Institute for Liberty
Tom Giovanetti
Institute for Policy Innovation
Pete Sepp
National Taxpayers Union
Lorenzo Montanari
Property Rights Alliance
Lori Sanders
R St. Institute
Paul J. Gessing
Rio Grande Foundation
Karen Kerrigan
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council