<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-successfully-pushes-biden-administration-to-remove-the-trade-pillar-from-the-indo-pacific-economic-framework" class="">https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-successfully-pushes-biden-administration-to-remove-the-trade-pillar-from-the-indo-pacific-economic-framework</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="ArticleHeader__date" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif; color: rgb(44, 132, 102); text-transform: uppercase; display: inline-block;">NOVEMBER 15, 2023</div><span style="caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif; font-size: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""></span><h1 class="ArticleTitle ArticleHeader__title" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 1rem 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 34px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1; font-family: Jost, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56);">BROWN SUCCESSFULLY PUSHES BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO REMOVE THE TRADE PILLAR FROM THE INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK</h1><h2 class="ArticleHeader__subTitle" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 28px; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.2; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;">Following Brown’s Urging, The Biden Administration Announced This Week That They Will Not Move Forward with the Trade Pillar at Asia Pacific Economic Forum in San Francisco; Brown Has a Record of Taking on Presidents of Both Parties to Fight Bad Trade Agreements</h2><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call to discuss his successful efforts to protect Ohio workers by pushing the Biden administration to drop the trade pillar from its proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), an agreement being negotiated among thirteen countries in the Pacific region.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“I’ve made it very clear that the trade portion of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is unacceptable, and I’m glad </strong><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">it’s not moving forward. Instead of negotiating trade deals behind closed doors, we should be working to strengthen enforcement so that American workers can compete on a level playing field. That means passing my Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act and my Fighting Trade Cheats Act,” </strong>said Brown.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">Brown was joined on the call by James Proctor, Senior Vice President of Legal and External Affairs at McWane, Inc., an ironworks manufacturer with a plant in Coshocton, as well as Jason Clark, Political Representative for the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, to discuss the importance of strong trade enforcement to Ohio workers and businesses.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“From a strategic perspective we all recognize that it’s important to build trade relationships that will counter China. However, China uses many of the countries involved in the IPEF discussions to fraudulently transship their products and circumvent US duties and laws, destroying US industries and jobs in the process,”</strong> said James Proctor, Senior Vice President of Legal and External Affairs at McWane, Inc. <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“Senator Brown</strong><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""> is trying to put a stop to that illegal activity through his sponsorship of the Fighting Trade Cheats Act, and is right to insist that any future trade deal address these issues in a way that prevents China from using our own trade agreements against us.”</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“Ohio workers have dealt with the consequences of bad trade agreements for decades. We’ve seen factories close – devastating workers, their families, and their entire community. People are sick of watching their life work disappear because of trade deals written behind closed doors, without the input of those of us whose jobs and livelihoods are on the line,” </strong>said Jason Clark, Political Representative of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters. <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">“The United Brotherhood of Carpenters appreciate Senator Sherrod Brown’s consistent efforts to include enforceable labor standards within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. As an organization we fully understand and support global trade agreements that are fair to all working men and women.”</strong></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">Until Brown spoke out, the Biden administration was moving forward with rolling out the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework – which included a “trade pillar” with no enforceable labor standards – this week at the Asia Pacific Economic Forum in San Francisco. Last week, Brown <a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-demands-biden-administration-remove-trade-pillar-indo-pacific-economic-framework" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(44, 132, 102); transition: background-position 100ms ease-in-out 0s, color; cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; background-position-y: 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">spoke out</strong></a> against the trade pillar because it did not include enforceable protections for workers and was being negotiated behind closed doors. Following Brown’s urging, the administration <strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/business/economy/indo-pacific-trade-delay.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 2px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(44, 132, 102); transition: background-position 100ms ease-in-out 0s, color; cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; background-position-y: 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;" class="">announced</a></strong> that it would not move forward with the trade pillar.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">It’s just the latest example of Brown standing up for Ohio workers and working to stop a trade agreement that could cost Ohio jobs. Brown led the successful campaign against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), led the fight against NAFTA and the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and opposed normalizing trade relations with China.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">Brown has long worked for stronger trade enforcement to protect Ohio workers. In March, he introduced the <a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-tillis-bipartisan-legislation-crack-down-trade-cheats" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(44, 132, 102); transition: background-position 100ms ease-in-out 0s, color; cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; background-position-y: 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic;" class="">Fighting Trade Cheats Act</span></strong></a>, which would strengthen U.S. trade law enforcement and give American manufacturers the opportunity to take action against bad actors that engage in customs fraud. The bill takes aim at companies that dump foreign-made goods into the United States. In June, Brown also reintroduced the <a href="https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sherrod-brown-young-introduce-legislation-strengthen-trade-remedy-laws-protect-american-workers" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(44, 132, 102); transition: background-position 100ms ease-in-out 0s, color; cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; background-position-y: 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;" class=""><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic;" class="">Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act</span></strong></a><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic;" class=""> </span></strong>with Senator Todd Young (R-IN)<strong style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic;" class=""> </span></strong>to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and ensure they remain effective tools to fight back against unfair trade practices and protect American workers.</p><div style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(13, 31, 56); color: rgb(13, 31, 56); font-family: "Zilla Slab", serif;" class="">###</div></div></body></html>