Congressman Paulsen Talks Increased Trade, New FDA Reform and Energy

by Congressman Erik Paulsen

Minnesota Economic and Job Growth through Increased Trade

It has been an important week for Minnesota and American trade. After working to pass three recent trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, Congress is now working on a pro-growth trade pact called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and this week both Mexico and Canada gained a seat at the negotiating table for this historic agreement. 

TPP will increase American competitiveness in the Pacific and I am pleased with the news that both Canada and Mexico have been invited to join the talks. Our neighbor to the north serves as Minnesota’s largest export destination with $5 billion in annual exports, and Mexico is Minnesota’s fifth largest export destination – with exports of $972 million in 2010. The valuable participation of both these nations should result in greater benefits to American workers and job creators by allowing U.S. companies to leverage existing supply chains and create jobs here at home.

Read my statement on this week's addition of Mexico and Canada to the TPP negotiations. 

American Energy for American Jobs 

With Minnesota families and small businesses still struggling with rising energy costs in a slow economy, the House took bipartisan action this week on a package of seven energy bills to lower energy costs and create American jobs. The Domestic Energy and Jobs Act is the latest in a series of House-passed jobs bills targeted at helping to remove government barriers to economic growth and stop policies that drive up prices on American families and small businesses.

Included in the energy package are initiatives to establish a national comprehensive energy plan by reviewing America’s energy needs and establishing targets for all types of energy production on federal lands to meet those needs. In addition, it will bring down roadblocks to American energy production by putting a stop to burdensome new regulations, and streamlining and reforming the permitting process to facilitate increased energy development. 

Read more about the legislation here. 

New FDA Reforms To Help Minnesota 

This week, the House of Representatives passed a package of provisions aimed at streamlining and reforming the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so medical device companies can bring their life-improving and life-saving products to market with certainty. Over the past two years, I’ve worked closely with my colleagues to draft a series of bipartisan reforms. 

One important reform included in the final bill passed this week was an initiative I chief authored entitled the FDA REFORM Act. The provision would expand and clarify the FDA’s ability to use accredited third party reviewers for low-risk devices -- freeing up valuable resources and allowing the FDA to function more effectively while still protecting patient safety.