Guest Blog: Rep. Mike Kelly on the Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement

Rep. Mike Kelly / June 12, 2011

In April, I visited South Korea and met with government and military leaders to promote vital U.S. interests in East Asia.   Among those priorities is the long overdue passage of the South Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), which has been stalled in typical Washington fashion since 2007.

If ratified, KORUS will stimulate America’s economic recovery – without government spending – by increasing U.S. exports and creating jobs in the U.S.  According to analysts in the Democrat-led Senate Finance Committee, data taken from the independent, nonpartisan U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) suggest that KORUS could create up to 280,000 jobs in the United States. While conservative estimates from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative show a more modest increase of 70,000 jobs, either way you cut it, KORUS means more jobs for Americans, and that’s great news for a nation that’s suffered one of the longest periods of high unemployment rates since the Great Depression. (more…)