Last week, American Security Project board member Nelson W. Cunningham and Mack McLarty wrote an article on the importance the president’s leadership carries in renewing the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). This authority would enable the Executive Branch to “fast-track” trade policy, allowing trade agreements to be sent to Congress for a vote that is free of amendments.

In order for the TPA, which expired in 2007, to be passed, the president must first gain approval from Congress.

TPA, while sacrificing some jobs, allows for the overall job growth within the United States to increase, as The Heritage Foundation writes:

“Certainly, some specific jobs are lost when Americans are given the freedom to spend their money on products made in other countries, but just as certainly, other jobs are created. The billions of dollars Americans spend on imports wind up being used in other countries to buy U.S. exports or to invest in the U.S. economy, creating jobs in the U.S.”

Critics of the bill must realize that global trade is critical in advancing both our nation’s economy and our relations with other countries. As Cunningham and McLarty implore, now is the time President Obama must first rally his troops and gain a bipartisan majority for the benefit of our economy:

“Without a concerted effort, TPA may well fail, embarrassing us abroad, casting a shadow on the president’s second term and hurting our economy in the long run. Why not instead show America and the world that the president and Congress, including leaders of his own party, can work together?”

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