{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.toomey.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/toomey-led-resolution-calls-for-free-trade-agreement-between-the-us-and-taiwan", "Toomey-led Resolution Calls for Free Trade Agreement Between the US and Taiwan", "2020-12-23", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Patrick Toomey", "T000461", "www.toomey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington,\r\nD.C. \r\nU.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is leading an effort to expand trade with Taiwan.\r\n  The\r\nConstitution gives Congress control over trade policy, and it is the\r\nresponsibility of the executive branch to pursue trade policies and trade\r\nagreements in line with those supported by Congress. In line with this, Senator\r\nToomey has introduced a Senate resolution detailing the need for a trade\r\nagreement with Taiwan.   Building\r\ncloser trade ties between the United States and Taiwan is a win-win for both\r\ncountries, said Senator Toomey. American workers and manufacturers\r\nwould have more customers, American consumers would have access to more\r\naffordable goods, both economies would grow faster, and America would\r\nstrengthen its relationship with a key regional ally and increase our economic engagement\r\nin the Indo-Pacific region. The Senate should pass this resolution and the\r\nincoming Biden administration should make a trade agreement with Taiwan a\r\npriority.  Senator\r\nToomey's colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa. 14th),\r\nhas introduced a companion resolution in the House.   The\r\nSenate resolution, which is available in its entirety below, is cosponsored by\r\nSenators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman\r\n(R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), John Cornyn\r\n(R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas),\r\nSteve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy\r\nHyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy\r\n(R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.),\r\nMarco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Thom Tillis\r\n(R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).   Background:   The United States\r\nis currently Taiwan's second largest trading partner, and Taiwan is the tenth\r\nlargest trading partner of the United States in goods and the eleventh largest\r\ntrading partner overall.   Trade with Taiwan\r\nsupports an estimated 208,000 United States jobs according to estimates of the\r\nUnited States Department of Commerce as of 2015.  Bilateral trade in\r\ngoods between Taiwan and the United States increased from $62,000,000,000 in\r\n2010 to $86,000,000,000 in 2019, according to the United States Census Bureau.  Title: Expressing the sense of the\r\nSenate that the United States should initiate negotiations to enter into a free\r\ntrade agreement with Taiwan.   Whereas,\r\npursuant to section 2(b)(1) of the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301(b)(1)),\r\nit is the policy of the United States to promote extensive, close, and\r\nfriendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the\r\nUnited States and the people on Taiwan; Whereas\r\nthe friendship between the United States and Taiwan is based on a shared\r\ncommitment to individual and economic freedom, shared values, and an\r\nappreciation for the blessings of liberty and democracy; Whereas\r\nthe United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust trade partnership, marked by the\r\nexchange of goods and services and international travel; Whereas\r\nTaiwan has shown an interest in strengthening its economic relationship with\r\nthe United States by investing in technology manufacturing facilities located\r\nwithin the United States and agreeing to lift restrictions on the importation\r\nof certain United States agricultural products; Whereas\r\nTaiwan has demonstrated a commitment to protecting intellectual property and\r\nindividual freedom by serving as a leader in the responsible development of\r\ntechnology, as evidenced through a Joint Declaration on 5G Security announced\r\nbetween the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural\r\nRepresentative Office in August 2020; Whereas\r\nTaiwan has played an integral role in the global supply chain during the\r\ncoronavirus disease 2019 (commonly known as COVID19) pandemic, producing\r\nmass amounts of masks at the time when masks were most scarce and ensuring that\r\nthis critical tool was available to individuals around the world; Whereas\r\nthe United States has consistently supported peaceful relations between Taiwan\r\nand the People's Republic of China, and respected the provisions of both the\r\nTaiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) and the Six Assurances offered by\r\nPresident Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982; Whereas\r\nthe People's Republic of China has shown a hostility to Taiwan, aggressively\r\nasserting its military power, using coercive economic measures to keep Taiwan\r\neconomically dependent on the People's Republic of China, and seeking to\r\nisolate Taiwan from the rest of the world; Whereas\r\nthe policy of the United States is to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific\r\nregion, and achieving that vision must include working with like-minded\r\ncountries in the region to liberalize trade; Whereas\r\nthe United States is currently Taiwan's 2nd largest trading partner, and Taiwan\r\nis the 10th largest trading partner of the United States in goods and 11th\r\nlargest trading partner overall; Whereas\r\nTaiwan has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2002; Whereas\r\nbilateral trade in goods between Taiwan and the United States increased from\r\n$62,000,000,000 in 2010 to $86,000,000,000 in 2019, according to the United\r\nStates Census Bureau; Whereas\r\nTaiwan's foreign direct investment stock in the United States was\r\n$11,100,000,000 as of 2019; Whereas\r\ntrade with Taiwan supports an estimated 208,000 United States jobs according to\r\nestimates of the United States Department of Commerce as of 2015; Whereas\r\ncloser engagement with Taiwan through trade negotiations would encourage even\r\ngreater access to Taiwan's market and would benefit both security and economic\r\ngrowth for the United States, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific region; Whereas\r\nit is essential that a free trade agreement negotiated between the United\r\nStates and Taiwan lower tariff and nontariff barriers to trade, including\r\nmeaningfully expanded access to agricultural markets and ensuring that\r\nscience-based standards govern international trade in animals and animal\r\nproducts; Whereas\r\nthe Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015\r\n(19 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.) enables the President to negotiate reciprocal\r\nreductions of nontariff barriers while preserving the authority of Congress\r\nover foreign trade as required by section 8 of article I of the Constitution of\r\nthe United States; Whereas\r\nthe procedures laid out in the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and\r\nAccountability Act of 2015 were designed by Congress to maintain the\r\nsovereignty of Congress over trade; and Whereas,\r\nfor legislation implementing a trade agreement to qualify for trade authorities\r\nprocedures under the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and\r\nAccountability Act of 2015, the trade agreement is required to make progress\r\ntoward achieving the applicable objectives, policies, and priorities set forth\r\nby Congress in that Act, and failure by the administration of a President to\r\nadhere to the trade negotiating objectives and notification and consultation\r\nrequirements established by Congress renders a trade agreement ineligible for\r\nfast-track consideration: Now, therefore, be it Resolved,\r\nThat it is the sense of the Senate that the United States should initiate\r\nnegotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with Taiwan.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.toomey.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/toomey-led-resolution-calls-for-free-trade-agreement-between-the-us-and-taiwan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.580905169248581, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}