Cord Byrd: “Much of the controversy surrounding U.S. trade policy arises from differences in opinion about the economic benefits…”

“Much of the controversy surrounding U.S. trade policy arises from differences in opinion about the economic benefits achieved from trade agreements. Trade agreements, in principle, have winners and losers. In recent years, regrettably, U.S. trade agreements seem to be pitting U.S. conglomerates and foreign policy interests against the traditional American workers. By traditional worker, I mean craftsmen, artisans, and laborers who, in this information age, still actually make things. Man cannot live on information alone--we still need clothes, shoes, dishes to eat from, watches, and tangible items. I believe the underlying issue for the traditional American worker is the question of who benefits from our trade negotiations. I believe that the traditional American worker perceives that a selected few U.S. industries keep winning, while other domestic industries keep losing, and that the promised trickle down of benefits from the winners to the losers never happens. Certainly, this is the case with the trade legislation now before the Senate.”