There has been little from the Biden administration on the prospect for renewing Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), but USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday made clear the administration will seek its renewal. Renewing TPA is “the only way, eventually, for us to have trade agreements that create that balance,” Vilsack said, noting there was a “very delicate balance” needed on several issues in a trade agreement.
“So I'm hoping that Congress, during the course of this year, begins to get serious about resuming and extending Trade Promotion Authority, which will then give us the opportunity to complete negotiations.”
Under TPA, an administration can negotiate trade deals and present them to Congress for an up-or-down vote with no amendments.
Vilsack said at an event organized by the Virginia governor's office that it was a key for U.S. trade policy ahead since it prevents there from being “535 new negotiators” on trade deals—the 100 members of the U.S. Senate and the 435 House members.
Vilsack also focused on enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in his remarks, noting the coming Mexican restrictions on imports of GMO corn. However, last week Vilsack noted that the coming rules in Mexico would not apply to corn imported by the country for feed use, but only that destined for human consumption. As for a U.S.-UK or U.S.-European Union (EU) trade deal, Vilsack stressed the need for a “science-based” set of trade rules. The British Ambassador to the U.S., Dame Karen Pierce, also addressed the meeting, noting their exit from the EU will potentially ease up the ability of the reaching a trade deal with the U.S.
While not signaling a shift on GMOs, Pierce did state she believed that gene-edited products should be treated differently and not regulated like GMO crops. “We've requested public input on a possible change to regulations,” she noted. This appears to mark some of the first comments from the Biden administration on TPA and its renewal as the current authority expires in July.