Congressman Dave Reichert

Washington, DC, Mar 4 - Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-08), a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, has been honored with the 2010 Trade and Investment Leadership Award by the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) for leading the fight to open new markets to trade, ensuring America’s continued prosperity.

“It’s truly an honor to accept this award, and I offer my sincere gratitude to ECAT for this recognition,” Reichert said. “Free trade is a pillar of economic recovery that has often been overlooked, and it plays a pivotal role in creating American jobs, preventing the loss of American jobs, and growing our economy. We must always remember that we’re operating in a global economy – and America cannot just participate in it, we must lead it.  The fact is, trade is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue – it’s an issue of American competitiveness that demands bipartisan cooperation, and I will continue working with my colleagues to open new markets and connect American goods and services with the markets that demand them.”

In presenting the award, Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies and Chairman of ECAT, stated: “Congressman Reichert brings a powerful and bipartisan voice to the halls of Congress, and we thank him for consistently making the case for expanding trade both behind the podium and on the op-ed pages.”

The ECAT Awards program was started seven years ago to recognize the contributions of leaders in the public and private sectors, and their work to help ensure the continued economic strength and prosperity of America through the promotion of international commerce and investment.  

Reichert, a long-time, vocal advocate of free trade, has led the fight in Congress in his role on the House Ways & Means Committee and as a member of the Trade Working Group to urge the passage of pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. Reichert and Adam Smith (WA-09) have garnered the bipartisan support of 88 Members of Congress in urging the Obama Administration to bring the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) before Congress for consideration. 44 Democrats and 44 Republicans from all regions of the country signaled their support for preparing the trade deal for a vote, which has not been approved by Congress since its signing on June 30, 2007. In 2008, Reichert traveled to Colombia with a bipartisan congressional delegation to meet with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and other stakeholders to discuss the Colombian agreement. Upon his return to the U.S., Reichert circulated an emergency letter urging his colleagues join as one voice and urge Democratic leadership to reconsider plans to stop a vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Further information on Reichert’s trade advocacy is available here.
 
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