NRF pleased with Obama's efforts to promote free trade

WASHINGTON—The National Retail Federation announced that it is pleased with President Obama's efforts to implement three pending Free Trade Agreements.

“These trade pacts will help break the logjam on job creation, and we applaud the White House for moving them forward,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Trade with South Korea, Colombia and Panama will make it easier for U.S. companies to export their goods and services overseas, and that means jobs for American workers. Congress should move to break down trade barriers that are holding back our economy by approving these agreements as quickly as possible. Expansion of international trade is one of the keys to our nation’s recovery.”

Obama said Monday he would have an announcement on the trade agreements “in the next day or so,” and news reports said the agreements could be sent to Congress as soon as yesterday afternoon.

According to NRF, Free and open international trade is crucial to U.S. retailers’ ability to provide American families with the products they need and want at prices they can afford. To help expand the U.S. retail industry’s global trade relationships, Shay is scheduled to travel to China next week as part of a delegation of U.S. retailers who will participate in the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and work to deepen ties with Chinese counterparts.