Chairman Adrian Smith of Nebraska’s 3rd District said on Mar. 17 that the United States must show strong leadership at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to rebalance global trade, expand market access for American exports, and address unfair practices by trading partners.
Smith made these remarks during his opening statement at a House Ways and Means Trade subcommittee hearing ahead of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference in Cameroon. The hearing focused on Congress’ support for advancing U.S. interests at the WTO and discussed priorities for proposed outcomes at the upcoming conference.
“We meet at an important time for international trade. Next week, the world’s economies will meet in Cameroon for the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference, which will frequently be referred to today as ‘MC14’,” Smith said in his prepared remarks. He added, “Today’s hearing reflects Congress’ support for strong U.S. leadership to advance our interests at the WTO. I also believe there is significant support in Congress for the Trump Administration’s top priorities for proposed outcomes at MC14 and look forward to discussing these priorities today.” Smith continued by highlighting challenges faced by the United States: “For years, the United States has pushed for our trading partners at the WTO to work with us to resolve these issues but has continuously faced significant headwinds.” He also noted, “But I believe the tide is shifting under the leadership of this Administration. We stand at a critical juncture with respect to the relevance of the WTO in U.S. trade policy.”
Smith addressed concerns about consensus-based decision-making within the WTO: “As I think most of my colleagues here would acknowledge, given the WTO’s requirement for consensus-based decisions, real negotiated outcomes are time and time again undermined by a handful of spoiler countries.” He called for significant reform: “Significant reform therefore is required at the WTO for the sake of its long-term durability and relevance in the global trading system.” Smith expressed hope that progress could be made on issues such as maintaining a moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions.
Adrian Smith has represented Nebraska’s 3rd district in Congress since replacing Tom Osborne in 2007 according to the official congressional biography. Before serving in Congress, he was a member of the Nebraska Legislature from 1999 to 2007 as reported by his official House website. Smith was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska in 1970 and currently lives in Gering according to Nebraska Public Media. He graduated from University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993.
Looking ahead, Smith urged members and trading partners alike to focus on concrete proposals rather than vague objectives: “The work should not end in Cameroon – moving forward, members should focus their efforts on putting forward concrete proposals for reform at the WTO rather than endless scoping exercises that lead to vague and ambiguous negotiating objectives unlikely to result in real outcomes.” He concluded with optimism about what strong U.S. leadership can achieve: “I remain optimistic that strong U.S. leadership at the WTO, with support and oversight from U.S. Congress, can deliver. I urge all our trading partners to engage constructively with the U.S. delegation to achieve practical and mutually beneficial outcomes at MC14.”
