U.S. Chamber Hails Bush Call For Free Trade

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Chamber of Commerce today continued to push support for trade promotion authority and hailed President Bush's call for Senate action.

"To maintain the momentum of our economic recovery, we need TPA now," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber president and CEO. "Trade promotion authority will arm our trade negotiators with the tools they need to open up more markets for American businesses and their workers."

Chamber executives and over 150 other supporters, joined President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill at an event at the State Department calling on the Senate to pass TPA.

The Chamber has focused attention and built support for passage of TPA through a variety of efforts, primarily outside the Beltway, including trade education events with state and local chambers, governors, and small businesses; lobbying fly-ins by Chamber members; grassroots and grasstops activity; issue ads; and other communication efforts.

The Chamber recently launched a multistate bilingual radio ad campaign and sent a letter to every Senator signed by more than 200 state and local chambers of commerce and dozens of American chambers of commerce (AmChams) abroad.

"We're sending a strong message to the Senate — that a vote for TPA is a vote for American small businesses and their workers," continued Donohue. "A vote by the Senate for TPA will determine whether or not America is committed to enabling its businesses and workers to compete and win in the global economy or cede entire markets to our foreign competitors."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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