He states that the congressional review and approval section would be non-binding upon his administration.
President Joe Biden signed the first part of a trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan. This legislation passed through Congress after years of negotiation and lays the legal groundwork for the two countries to pursue more solid trade negotiations in the near future.
President Biden stated that Section 7 of the agreement raises “constitutional concerns” by allowing Congress too much involvement in the trade negotiation process, a task that is usually the role of the executive branch. The section would require the U.S. Trade Representative to provide texts of the negotiations to Congress for review, which would allow Congress to delay a response to Taiwan.
“In cases where the requirements of section 7 of the Act would impermissibly infringe upon my constitutional authority to negotiate with a foreign partner, my Administration will treat them as non-binding,” President Biden asserted.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for members of Congress as they seek to provide oversight of the Executive Branch.
- For the president and U.S. trade representative as they conduct negotiations regarding trade.
Sources: Reuters, The White House
