Obama Administration Sets 2010 Trade Policy Agenda

Originally published March 4, 2010

Keywords: Obama administration, congress, 2010 trade policy agenda, trade, economic growth, global economic recovery

On March 1, the Obama Administration sent Congress its Trade Policy Agenda for 2010. In it, the Administration uses very strong rhetoric to underscore the critical role of trade in supporting American exports, jobs and economic growth, including global economic recovery. The Administration notes that despite last year's recession, the "world decisively rejected a protectionist panic," that to "improve American prosperity, we must match other counties in seeking new international markets aggressively" and that "collectively, the community of nations has to break down long-standing barriers to trade and investment as well as newer impediments that obstruct trade and slow economic integration." However, in contrast to its agenda for 2009, the Administration is less concrete about when and how it will take many