Like technology, it leads to new products and new industries while enabling workers to produce more in an hour. Ultimately, the debate about fast-track and free trade is about human liberty. Trade with other nations allows American consumers to enjoy a wider range of goods and services at lower cost than if we produced everything for ourselves. We can enjoy abundant supplies of fresh fruit year around, more affordable shoes and clothing for our children and the latest technology in medical equipment and consumer electronics. Free trade benefits producers as well as consumers.
American exporters gain through access to a much larger world market.
Increased competition from imports spurs innovation among domestic firms while protecting consumers from potential monopolies. For those reasons, nations that pursue free-trade policies today tend to prosper while those that hide behind protectionist barriers stagnate. The American economy has become increasingly intertwined with the rest of the world. Today the United States is both the world's largest exporter and its largest importer. Slamming the door on future trade agreements would deny American exporters and consumers huge potential gains.