Letter to Editor on Trade

Sen. Sherrod Brown's letter to the editor was published in the Washington Post.

Enforcing the Trade Rules

We hear it from multinational corporations. We hear it from Wall Street. And we heard it from George F. Will ["The Cost of Presidential Cave-in," op-ed, Sept 24]. Name-calling, blaming American workers, defending cheap overseas labor.

While extolling the virtues of outsourcing to China -- and throwing in the towel on American manufacturing -- Mr. Will failed to acknowledge that President Obama, in using the "421" safeguard, was enforcing terms agreed to by China, terms it failed to follow. Conservatives so often extol the virtues of "rule of law" -- except when it comes to trade agreements. Mr. Will also failed to recognize that a temporary tariff on Chinese tires still pales in comparison to the estimated 40 percent advantage Chinese exports have as a result of currency manipulation.

If America is ever to support more trade, its people need to know that the rules will be enforced. And Mr. Obama did exactly that.

SHERROD BROWN
U.S. Senator (D-Ohio)
Avon, Ohio