Washington DC - April 1 - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk transmitted to Congress the 2010 National Trade Estimate (NTE), which describes significant barriers to U.S. trade and investment faced in the last year as well as the actions being taken by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to address those barriers.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - March 29 - Democratic Members of the House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama renewing their call for immediate and effective action to address trade barriers which have exacerbated unsustainable trade deficits.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC March 22 - The United States and China have reached an agreement to reopen the Chinese market to U.S. pork and pork products, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC March 22 - U.S. negotiators have finished their fifth and final day of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations with their counterparts from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam to further open markets between TPP members, expand trade and support good jobs.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - March 18 - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma signed a “Framework for Cooperation on Trade and Investment.” This agreement strengthens bilateral cooperation and seeks to build on recent rapid growth in U.S.-India trade.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - March 16 - A United States Trade Representative(USTR) team began the first round of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement in Melbourne, Australia. The 22-member team will engage counterparts on creating a regional Asia-Pacific trade agreement.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - March 2 - A bipartisan group of nineteen Senators sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk urging the Administration to press China to live up to its commitments and allow the importation of American pork.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - March 1 - The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sent a letter this week directly to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to immediately challenge the legality of the tariffs levied by Mexico on U.S. exports.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - February 8 - The United States and Canada have reached a tentative agreement on government procurement which includes permanent and reciprocal commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) with respect to provincial, territorial and state procurement.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - February 5 - Commerce Secretary Gary Locke unveiled details of President Obama’s National Export Initiative at the National Press Club. During last week’s State of the Union speech, the president announced a goal of doubling exports over the next five years to support two million jobs in America.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - February 4 - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk commented on Japan’s release of the list of a limited number of U.S. autos models that qualify under its Eco-friendly Vehicle Purchase Program (Japan’s version of “cash-for-clunkers”).

To read his remarks, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - January 21 - Members of the Ways and Means committee joined in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, expressing frustration with Taiwan’s undoing of an October 2009 bilateral protocol regarding market access for U.S. beef and beef product exports to Taiwan.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - January 20 - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk commented on the changes announced to Japan’s Eco-friendly Vehicle Purchase Program (Japan’s version of “cash-for-clunkers”).

To read his remarks, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - January 15 - National Farmers Union and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association submitted a joint letter to United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk, urging a vigorous defense of the country of origin labeling (COOL) law at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - January 11 - The American Meat Institute (AMI) told the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) violates the United States’ international trade obligations for many reasons and that the U.S. must honor these obligations.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE