During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) questioned US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ambassador, for availing yourself here today on such important matters.
00:07And especially given the context, the broader context of timing, I think, I don't have to tell you, these are important issues.
00:15And I am grateful for your service and certainly your intent and desire to move our country forward in many ways.
00:23I would say there's no such thing as stagnation in trade. We're either gaining ground or we're losing ground.
00:28And I think over the last four years, we lost a lot of ground.
00:34And during President Trump's first term, though, we made astounding progress through the negotiation of USMCA, the China Phase I Agreement, U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement.
00:43These efforts unlocked new markets, strengthened supply chains, and empowered cooperation with important partners.
00:49Over the last four years, however, the Biden administration's trade agenda veered from slow-walked complacency to non-binding frameworks.
00:56Let me be very clear. The world was watching then, as it is now, and it was watching as digital trade barriers, which disproportionately impact American companies, were built while USTR actively withdrew from digital trade negotiations at the WTO and in the Indo-Pacific.
01:15The world was also watching as a growing number of countries blocked market access for American agriculture, with no scientific basis, and as the previous administration let negotiations with the UK and Kenya simply fade away.
01:30This was particularly concerning, given Kenya stood to set an example for other AGOA beneficiaries, which are capable of negotiating their own bilateral reciprocal agreements.
01:41Consumers, producers, manufacturers, service providers, and our partners expected more.
01:47I am encouraged by the growing list of countries seeking trade negotiations with the United States, including the UK, India, Japan, and South Korea.
01:56I am encouraged to also have you as USTR leading these discussions.
02:01It's clear President Trump has the world's attention, and it is up to his negotiators to ensure any agreements reached tear down the barriers affecting America's farmers, ranchers, and workers.
02:11While I do not expect perfection in the short-term, we must find common-sense solutions which level the playing field for our exporters, ensuring they receive fair treatment we have offered foreign partners, often unreciprocated, for too long.
02:26Over the last few months, our trade subcommittee has clearly outlined its priorities for trade enforcement and negotiations, I might add, in a bipartisan fashion, and I hope you will look to the subcommittee's work to inform your agenda moving forward.
02:38I expect strong collaboration between USTR and Congress to create durable change in our trading relationships.
02:46During President Trump's first term, he teed up the agreements with the United Kingdom and Kenya.
02:51I am eager for these agreements to be brought to fruition.
02:54Ambassador Greer, could you elaborate on your engagement with these countries, Kenya and UK?
02:59How would you say you are ensuring our partners understand what progress is needed?
03:06Thank you, Congressman.
03:07Over the past month, I have had a number of conversations with my counterpart in the United Kingdom.
03:14We have talked about non-tariff barriers in the UK.
03:16We have talked about ways to collaborate on technology.
03:20We have met frequently in person.
03:22We have had phone calls.
03:23We have had virtual meetings.
03:25We have discussed how to move the relationship forward on an economic basis.
03:29I have certainly expressed my concern that the UK has barriers, especially in the ag space, that are very important for us.
03:34So that's been made clear to them.
03:37But those discussions are on a good footing.
03:39With Kenya, I also had my counterpart, a trade minister from Kenya, in town last week.
03:43And we sat down in my office.
03:44We had a good talk.
03:45And he said that he wanted to engage with the United States.
03:48He understands our concerns.
03:50But he also understands the need to move forward.
03:52It was a very fruitful conversation.
03:53I look forward to speaking with him again.
03:55He wants to work with us.
03:56They want to have some kind of agreement with us.
03:59I want to say that USTR is a very lean, agile, and effective agency.
04:04Simultaneous negotiations with 50-plus countries would require significant bandwidth and expertise, as I'm sure you're aware.
04:11The chief IP negotiator, a role which has never been filled,
04:15and the chief ag negotiator positions that Congress created in statute to ensure relevant issues important to the American people are addressed.
04:22When would you anticipate the president will nominate these positions, to fill these positions?
04:27And in the meantime, how is USTR responding to the influx of requests and prioritizing negotiations?
04:34So, Congressman, we have a couple of my deputies who have already been announced,
04:38and they're doing their rounds on the Hill or about to.
04:40We have an ag negotiator and a second deputy who are pending announcements.
04:45We're very close on that.
04:46So we're happy about that.
04:47In the meantime, the nature of these negotiations, you know, the other countries know what the trade barriers are that we're talking about,
04:55and we're moving very quickly.
04:57We're meeting every day with several, you know, trade ministers from other countries.
05:02The crack staff at USTR is working very hard as well to put together what would make sense in terms of near-term agreements with respect to the reciprocal trade.
05:11I think it's important to note that oftentimes, even if we have a trade agreement with a friendly country, for example,
05:17we still need to stay on top of these things, whether it's investor protections in Mexico or beef in Australia,
05:23with the expectation of a level playing field.
05:25So thank you again for being here.
05:27I look forward to the discussion.