Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Co-Chairs of the Digital Trade Caucus, released the following statement on the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) decision to withdraw support for important digital trade proposals at the World Trade Organization (WTO):
“USTR’s decision to abandon important, longstanding, and bipartisan U.S. digital trade priorities at the WTO runs contrary to American interests,” said Reps. LaHood and DelBene. “Instead of promoting policies that Congress set in the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that protect against the forced transfer of American technology, enable the free flow of information across borders, and defend American industries, small businesses, and workers against discrimination, USTR has unilaterally decided to walk away from these important rules without the consent of Congress. This decision provides more leverage for other foreign powers, including the Chinese Communist Party, to write the rules of the global digital economy into the future. We strongly urge the Biden administration to reconsider its approach.”
