The Hill News

As the new Congress and the Obama administration get down to business, most Americans are looking for two things from Washington: jobs and bipartisanship. 

There are no easy answers, but there is one thing that Congress and the administration can do quickly to boost job growth and demonstrate that bipartisan cooperation: Ratify the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. By giving U.S. companies greater access to one of Asia’s fast-growing markets, the agreement will generate jobs and economic growth across nearly every sector of the U.S. economy. 

The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the trade pact would create more than 70,000 American jobs and increase U.S. exports by as much as $11 billion. Those estimates are conservative because they consider only the impact of reducing existing tariffs on U.S. exports. Eliminating procurement requirements and other legal restrictions that favor Korean companies â€" and  effectively shut out U.S. f! irms â€" would create additional American jobs. 

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