Sen. Toomey Applauds President's Submission Of Free Trade Agreements To Congress

Statement

Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) commended President Obama for sending three pending trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama to Congress yesterday.

"I was heartened to hear that President Obama has sent three important free trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama to Congress yesterday," Sen. Toomey said. "As the president has noted, these free trade agreements will open up international markets to U.S. products, make American companies more competitive and help our businesses create new jobs. Many Pennsylvania employers and workers will benefit from the passage of these agreements, especially in Pennsylvania's vital manufacturing industry. I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner and helping the president get these job-creating agreements ratified by Congress as soon as possible."

Many Pennsylvania companies are supporting the passage of these important trade agreements:

"Passage of the free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama will give Mack Trucks a chance to again compete fairly on a level playing field in those long-standing markets. Increasing our market share and exports would mean securing or even adding jobs at our Macungie Mack Truck assembly facility." - Jim Goodell, vice president and general manager, Mack Trucks, Macungie Plant, Lehigh County, PA

"We need more free trade agreements in place to provide more manufacturing jobs in Pennsylvania. As more jobs are created via these free trade agreements, families have more disposable income to spend on gifts, on food, on clothes. They have more money to invest and save. We all win as we open up foreign markets and thus we at Wendell August fully support Senate ratification of the agreements with Columbia, South Korea and Panama." - Will Knecht, president, Wendell August Forge, Mercer County, PA

"As a Pennsylvania-based global manufacturer, PPG Industries supports approval of the free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea. This would bolster commerce between the United States and these growing economies and support PPG's business activities here and abroad. A free trade agreement with Korea, for example, will provide tariff relief on materials unavailable in the United States but needed for domestic manufacturing. We appreciate Sen. Toomey's support for Pennsylvania manufacturing by supporting these pro-growth trade agreements." - Lynne Schmidt, vice president of government and community affairs, Allegheny County, PA

"Ellwood Group employs 1,600 people in western Pennsylvania to manufacture specialty steel forgings that we sell as components to heavy equipment manufacturers like General Electric, Caterpillar and others. GE and Caterpillar in turn export their products containing our forgings outside the United States, including to Columbia, Korea and Panama. To the best of our knowledge, over half of our company's products end up outside the United States. A vote in Congress to pass the trade agreements with Columbia, Korea and Panama is a strong vote for manufacturing jobs in western PA." - David Barensfeld, president and chief executive officer, Ellwood Group, Beaver County, PA

"York Wire & Cable is a world leading supplier of insulated electrical wire, cable and specialty alloys based in York, Pa. We know all too well the benefits of free trade agreements and how well they have allowed us to be competitive in the global marketplace. We commend Senator Toomey for his stance and support quick ratification of our pending free trade agreements with Panama, Columbia and South Korea. Once these agreements are ratified, York Wire & Cable will become competitive in those markets and allow us even greater success in the global marketplace." - Bob Wilson, president, York Wire & Cable, York County, PA

"Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter applauds Sen. Toomey's support of the free trade agreements awaiting ratification. These agreements will directly benefit the construction business here in Eastern Pennsylvania and enable it to grow." - Jeff Zeh, president & CEO, Associated Builders and Contractors, Eastern Pennsylvania chapter

"Enacting the free trade agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama will provide the U.S. medical device industry with a more level playing field with domestic manufacturers in each of these countries. These free trade agreements will also put U.S. manufacturers in a more competitive position with our European Union counterparts who already enjoy the benefits of free trade agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama." - Monte Wiltse, vice president of sales and marketing, Fujirebio Diagnostics, Chester County, PA

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