Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council

White House Briefing with Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick
United States Trade Representative & EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman

On October 26, SBSC Chairman Karen Kerrigan led a delegation of women-owned business exporters to the White House to meet with Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick,
United States Trade Representative, and EPA Administrator Christine Whitman. Mr. Zoellick briefed the group on the importance of expanded global trade, and the status of (and need for) Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). EPA Administrator Whitman outlined the positive aspect of trade for the environment.

The following "TPA Talking Points" have been provided to SBSC members and participants who attended the event. With the U.S. House scheduled to vote on TPA sometime in mid-November, now is an ideal time for SBSC members and trade supporters to contact their U.S. House members. If you would like to send an email to Capitol Hill, please visit SBSC's website at www.sbsc.org, and click on the icon on the left hand side of the page "Trade Promotion Authority Now!" This will connect you to a location where you can send a message unique to your interests as a small business owner.

Women Business Leaders Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Event: October 26, 2001

Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick's main points:

Openness is America's trump card: open to goods, services, people, and ideas. This openness keeps us competitive and allows us to draw upon the best that the world has to offer.

EU has 27 bilateral agreements, 20 of which were made in the 1990s, and 15 more are currently in progress.

There are 130 FTAs worldwide, and the U.S. is party to only 3.

There are 30 FTAs in the Western Hemisphere, and the U.S. is party to only 1.

Trade intersects with the interests of women as business executives, entrepreneurs, leaders in the world of trade, consumers, mothers, and women interested in international issues.

TPA is important because many other countries will fear negotiating once with the Administration and then a second time through Congressional amendments driven by special interests.

TPA will send an unmistakable signal: we are speaking with one voice at the negotiating table.

Administrator Christine Todd Whitman's main points:

Environmental protection, labor standards, and human rights are standards to which the entire world can aspire and which trade can help achieve.

We can make environmental protection a reality in developing countries by knocking down trade barriers, boosting their economies, and opening markets for U.S. environmental technologies.

Since 1993, exports of environmental technology to Mexico have grown 385 percent! With a stronger economy and higher employment rates, Mexico is better prepared to put that technology to use.

Trade Promotion Authority will send a powerful message to our trading partners by showing them that the health of our environment and our workers are as important to the United States as the health of our economy.

TPA represents the opportunity for us to not only export the ideal of environmental protection, but also more opportunities to share American environmental technology with the world.

With TPA, the environment wins and so do American environmental businesses.