Overview
The Washington Post quoted Eric Emerson in a January 21 article titled “Independent Agency Holds Big Sway Over TPP Trade Deal.” The article discusses the influence the International Trade Commission (ITC) has over a proposed trade deal between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Advocates and foes alike are appealing to the ITC in order to influence its report on the TPP’s economic impact, which the commission hopes to produce by mid-May.
Mr. Emerson says: “The ITC’s report in this case is going to be very influential. There will be a lot of interest groups on each side, a lot of argument as to whether the agreement is a net plus or net minus for the country, particularly from the employment perspective. Having the ITC, which is about as independent as it gets in terms of an executive branch agency, come out and say, ‘Here’s the net impact on the US economy,’ — assuming they come out in a positive way, and I suspect they will — I think that’s going to be a very important talking point for the administration.”
The full article can be read at The Washington Post.
