Erik Paulsen: “Yes. I should just mention here that the first trade agreement that really dealt with the opportunity to negotiate on…”

“Yes. I should just mention here that the first trade agreement that really dealt with the opportunity to negotiate on medical devices specifically was the Korea free trade agreement, which recently passed. Medical devices is kind of near and dear to my heart because it is so prevalent in Minnesota. We have one of the strongest ecosystems in the medical device community in the country--in fact, in the world. These are high- valued manufactured products that are improving lives, that are saving lives, and there is a regulatory scheme that is often surrounding it, of course, making sure these devices are approved before they move forward. We have the opportunity, I think, now, Mr. Chairman, with some of these trade agreements that are moving forward to not only negotiate the tariffs--making sure that these manufactured products are going to be available to others around the world and also lowering costs for our consumers--but also to know that the regulatory environment can be set up in a way that, if we have oversight committees--for instance, in the EU and in the United States and if we have got a device that is on track to be approved, say, by the FDA in the United States--we can make sure that, if our oversight committees agree on the other side of the continent, on the other side of the Atlantic, that they can sign off on it.…”