Emergency Committee For American Trade

09-07-06 ECAT Chairman Urges Passage of Key Trade Measures

News Release For Immediate Release

September 7, 2006

Contact: Emily Watkins 202.659.5147

ECAT CHAIRMAN URGES CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF KEY TRADE MEASURES

Vietnam PNTR, Trade Agreements with Peru and Colombia, AGOA and GSP Extension

Warrant Action This Congress

Washington, D.C., September 7, 2006: Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies and Chairman of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT), today urged Congressional action on five key trade measures before the end of the 109^th Congress:

“Recognizing the limited time available on the current legislative calendar, ECAT believes that each of these measures warrants Congress’s attention and action this year as a way to promote economic growth in the U.S. and abroad, and to foster broader U.S. national interests, such as poverty reduction, development and security.”

In particular, ECAT is seeking:

passage of legislation authorizing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Vietnam,
implementation of the U.S.-Peru and U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreements,
extension of the third-country fabric provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and
extension of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

Mr. McGraw emphasized that “while each of these measures is very important in its own right, Congressional approval will also send a strong signal to the United States’ trading partners of our continued commitment to economic engagement.”

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Founded in 1967, ECAT is an organization of the heads of leading U.S. international business enterprises representing all major sectors of the American economy. Their annual worldwide sales total nearly $2.4 trillion and they employ approximately five and one-half million persons. ECAT’s purpose is to promote economic growth through the expansion of international trade and investment.

Attached Document(s): 9-07-06 ECAT Letter on Trade Agenda.pdf