Mayors Call On Senate Leaders To Adopt Trade Promotion Authority Legislation (TPA 2015)

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On behalf of mayors across the country, the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) sent a letter today to Senate leaders McConnell and Reid urging the Senate to adopt Trade Promotion Authority legislation (TPA 2015). 

In 2014, USCM adopted policy in support of the Administration's efforts to pursue high standard 21^st century trade agreements that create jobs, increase exports and compete in a highly competitive globalized economy in the Pacific Rim and Europe.  USCM's own forecasts, through IHS Global Insight, show that U.S. city/metro economies will continue to account for more than 90% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, and 92% of its future economic growth—one-third of which will come from expanding exports.  TPA would pave the way for metro economies to take full advantage of dramatically expanding markets overseas, which in turn would further bolster the nation's economic future.

"TPA is a critical step to ensuring that the United States and it's metro economies remain leaders in the global market place," the mayors write in the letter.  "We believe that inclusion of enforceable labor and environmental standards, transparency, uniform tariffs, protection of intellectual property rights, and other standards and objectives will result in increased global trade that promotes fairness throughout the global trading system, and therefore increase U.S. competitiveness."

For the full letter, see here.

The following mayors signed the letter:

William Bell, Mayor of Birmingham, AL
Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, SC
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore, MD
Bob Buckhorn, Mayor of Tampa, FL
Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of West Sacramento, CA
Michael Coleman, Mayor of Columbus, OH
Frank Cownie, Des Moines, IA
James Diossa, Mayor of Central Falls, RI
Robert Donchez, Mayor of Bethlehem, PA
Denny Doyle, Mayor of Beaverton, OR
Carol Dutra-Vernaci, Mayor of Union City, CA
William Euille, Mayor of Alexandria, VA
Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville, KY
John Giles, Mayor of Mesa, AZ
Kevin Johnson, Mayor of Sacramento, CA
Dwight Jones, Mayor of Richmond, VA
Rick Kriseman, Mayor of St. Petersburg, FL
Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans, LA
Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose, CA
Kim McMillan, Mayor of Clarksville, TN
Geraldine Muoio, Mayor of West Palm Beach, FL
Michael Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA
Ed O'Brien, Mayor of West Haven, CT
John O'Reilly, Mayor of Dearborn, MI
Sal Panto, Mayor of Easton, PA
Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, TX
Miguel Pulido, Mayor of Santa Ana, CA
Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, TX
Dana Redd, Mayor of Camden, NJ
Joseph Riley, Mayor of Charleston, SC
Jesus Ruiz, Mayor of Socorro, TX
Pete Saenz, Mayor of Laredo, TX
Pedro Segarra, Mayor of Hartford, CT
Mark Shepherd, Mayor of Clearfield, UT
Raymond Stephanson, Mayor of Everett, WA
Marilyn Strickland, Mayor of Tacoma, WA
Fredrick Sykes, Mayor of West Covina, CA
Lester E. Taylor III, Mayor of East Orange, NJ

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors