Ambassador Robert Holleyman joins Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu and Greater New Orleans, Inc. for a discussion about how the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s economic agenda, will deliver over 18,000 tax cuts for Made-in-America exports and support high-paying jobs in Louisiana
New Orleans, LA – Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman, one of President Obama’s chief advisers on trade and a Louisiana native, was hosted by Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO) President and CEO Michael Hecht for a roundtable discussion with business and community leaders about how President Obama’s top trade priority, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), will help Louisianians export more Made-in-America products to the world and support more high-paying jobs across the state.
The TPP is a groundbreaking new trade agreement that will gain Americans unprecedented access to the Asia-Pacific region by cutting over 18,000 taxes various countries put on Made-in-America products. The deal will also level the playing field for American workers and businesses by setting high-standard rules across the region, including groundbreaking protections for intellectual property, labor rights, a free and open internet, and many other areas.
Tuesday’s event falls one week after President Obama’s final State of the Union address, in which the President called for passage of the TPP and said that the deal will “open markets, protect workers and the environment, and advance American leadership in Asia.”
Building on the President’s call for approval of the TPP, Ambassador Holleyman highlighted both how exporting Made-in-America products is currently benefitting the Louisiana economy as well as how the TPP is aimed at growing those benefits for New Orleans and the entire state.
For example, in 2014 Louisiana exported $64.8 billion in Made-in-America goods to the world, supporting over 17,000 high-paying jobs. $17.5 billion, or 27 percent of those exports, went to TPP countries. Also, the New Orleans metropolitan area is the 8th largest export market in the United States.
“I want to thank Mayor Landrieu and Michael Hecht for hosting me today, and for their strong support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Robert Holleyman. “As a native Louisianian, it’s very meaningful to me that I could come home one week after President Obama called for passage of the TPP in his last State of the Union address to cover in great detail how this new deal will mean over 18,000 tax cuts on made-in-America exports and level the playing field in the Asia-Pacific region for our workers, farmers, and businesses. Louisiana is an export-driven state, as our ports connect us to the world. We understand how increasing exports to rapidly growing Asia-Pacific markets can be a catalyst for economic development and high-paying jobs in Louisiana. Indeed 3 of Louisiana's top 5 export markets are part of TPP, and New Orleans is one of the most vibrant exporting cities in our country.”
“Louisiana companies and workers depend on access to world markets to grow,” said Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu. “Strong trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership will reduce tariffs and ensure a level playing field for U.S. businesses. Louisiana businesses, farmers and workers will benefit from expanded access to Asia-Pacific markets. President Obama’s trade policies are helping our local businesses reach the 96 percent of consumers that live outside the United States. Expanded trade will strengthen our economy and ensure Louisiana’s position on a global stage.”
“Greater New Orleans was founded on international trade, and it remains today a foundational sector for our economy,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “Strong trade policies like the Trans Pacific Partnership will benefit many leading Louisiana industries, including the petrochemical industry, and will ensure that Louisiana’s international trade sector remains strong in the future. We look forward to continuing to work the Administration and Congress to pass TPP.”
For a Department of Commerce fact sheet on how the TPP will benefit Louisiana, please click here.
For a U.S. Trade Representative profile of iconic Louisiana exports that will benefit from tariff cuts in the TPP, please click here.
For a White House fact sheet on the TPP please click here.
