Washington, DC – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after President Obama sent his 2015 budget request to Congress.
“American businesses and workers can outcompete anyone in the world, but not if the other side has an unfair advantage. To protect American manufacturing, we need to make sure our trading partners play by the rules, which is why I applaud the President for including a significant increase in funding for international trade enforcement in his budget. I’ll be working with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to deliver on this request, and will keep fighting for a level playing field for American manufacturers.”
Earlier this year, Senator Merkley called on President Obama to boost funding for the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center (ITEC) that would combine the resources and talents of multiple agencies to start enhancing trade enforcement. The President’s budget includes doubling the funding for the ITEC to $15 million for FY 2015.
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