Why Support the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement?

It Will Level the Playing Field!

It’s simple, really.  The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement is about leveling the playing field for American workers, farmers, and companies.

The United States unilaterally opened its market to Colombia and many of its neighbors through the Andean Trade Preference Act, the Caribbean Basin Initiative, and the GATT Uruguay Round, and more than 90% of our imports from Colombia already enters our market duty free.  By contrast, exports of U.S. manufactured goods to Colombia face average tariffs of 14%.  In other words, Colombia enjoys nearly free access to our marketplace while our access to theirs remains limited.

This trade agreement will fix this imbalance by building a mutually beneficial, reciprocal trade partnership.  More than 80% of U.S. consumer and industrial products and half of current U.S. farm exports will enter Colombia duty-free immediately, with the rest phased out over time.  Consider these representative examples from Colombia and the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement: