U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry // Serving the People of the 13th District of Texas

I have received many questions and comments about trade authorities and agreements, specifically the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that Congress passed in 2015. I hope the information on this page will answer some of your questions about TPA and clear up some of the myths and falsehoods about it.

The Facts about TPA:

The TPA bill currently that was passed in 2015 was not a secret document. In fact, the full text of it is available to the public here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr2146eah/pdf/BILLS-114hr2146eah.pdf

TPA agreements between the legislative and executive branches have existed since President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office.

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The latest TPA provides trade agreement negotiating authority to presidents until 2018, and it is not specific to any one free trade agreement.

TPA does not provide the President with any more authority than he is already provided by the Constitution.

TPA gives Congress more influence over future trade agreements by:

• Allowing Congress to provide a road map (nearly 150 negotiating objectives) for such agreements at the beginning of negotiations;
• Allowing Congress to review the negotiating text, attend negotiating sessions, and receive briefings from the administration upon request;
• Providing Congress with a new mechanism to revoke TPA authority if the President has not met the specific objectives;
• Creating a Transparency Officer at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that will consult with Congress and advise the USTR on transparency policies; and
• Requiring an up or down vote to enact any foreign trade proposal negotiated by the executive branch.

The measure also ensures that the American people have the opportunity to review proposed trade agreements 60 days before the agreement can be signed. 

TPA does not allow the President to implement back door policies on immigration or global warming. In fact, section 108, clause (a), reaffirms U.S. sovereignty: “No provision of any trade agreement entered into under section 103(b), nor the application of any such provision to any person or circumstance, that is inconsistent with any law of the United States, any State of the United States, or any locality of the United States shall have effect.”

Although it is often confused with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), TPA is not a trade agreement.

TPP is a negotiation among countries across the Pacific Rim, which cannot become law until the full text of the proposal has been made public and Congress has taken an up or down vote on it.

TPA strengthens our hand in negotiations like TPP by letting the other countries know that the negotiators are acting in good faith.

The Facts about International Trade and Texas:

More than 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the U.S.  

In the first decade of this century, the countries of East Asia negotiated 48 trade agreements. The U.S. was only involved in two. Over that time, America’s share of exports to that region fell by 42 percent, the worst record of any major exporting country.

Trade is very important to Texas; it has been ranked the number one state for U.S. exports 13 years in a row, totaling $289 billion in 2014 alone.

In our area, we export 25 percent of the pork, 50 percent of the wheat, 90 percent of the cotton, and 90 percent of the harvested sorghum. 

It’s not just important for agriculture, though. Many other kinds of businesses owned by folks in our communities depend heavily on overseas sales.

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According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, more than 26,000 companies exported goods from Texas in 2008, and 92 percent of those – 24,294 companies – were classified as small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

Anytime Congress considers any trade agreements and other measures, growing the economy, creating jobs, and improving the standard of living here at home through constitutional means will be my chief considerations.

More resources about TPA and foreign trade agreements:

House Committee on Agriculture: Free Trade Agreements Benefit Agriculture

House Ways and Means Committee: Trade Promotion Frequently Asked Questions

Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Ryan: Putting Congress in Charge on Trade

The Federalist: Top Myths about TPA

Heritage Foundation: Trade Promotion Authority and Economic Freedom

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Give President Trade-promotion Authority

International Trade Administration: Texas Export Facts