WALLY HERGER: “Madam Speaker, today we are voting on the Andean Preferences, but the U.S.-Colombia TPA is far superior to the Andean…”

“Madam Speaker, today we are voting on the Andean Preferences, but the U.S.-Colombia TPA is far superior to the Andean Trade Preferences in several very important ways. The Andean trade preferences program provides duty-free access for imports from Colombia, but not for U.S. exports to Colombia, which face an average duty of over 11 percent. As a result, U.S. exporters are at a major disadvantage. Here are just a few of the examples in which imports from Colombia receive duty-free access to the U.S. markets and the significant tariffs U.S. exporters currently face which would be eliminated upon implementation of the U.S.-Colombia TPA: U.S. wheat, fruits and vegetables; soybean meal; paper products; aircraft; turbines; diesel engines; and tractors. Passing the U.S.-Colombian TPA would level the playing field for U.S. exporters. However, the longer we wait, the worse the situation becomes. Currently, several countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Chile, have preferential access into the Colombian market. Canada and the EEU are close to completing trade agreements with Colombia that would provide their businesses with a competitive advantage in the Colombian market. Failure of Congress to pass the U.S.-Colombia TPA does not preserve the status quo. It exacerbates and magnifies disadvantages already faced by U.S. exporters.”