House Trade Working Group

The House Trade Working Group (HTWG) is an informal group of Congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives that is made up of members that take a skeptical view of international trade agreements. The HTWG was formed by Congressman Mike Michaud and Congresswoman Linda Sánchez during the 110th Congress. Members of Congress from both parties and outside organizations, who represent American workers, consumers, and businesses, are active participants in the group. The HTWG organizes press conferences, briefings, letters, and other initiatives to fight trade agreements. As of the 111th Congress, the membership was as follows (based on signatures affixed to HTWG letters):[1][2][3]

Membership

Continuing HTWG Membership for 112th Congress

HTWG Members of 111th Congress Who Were Defeated

HTWG Members of 111th Congress Who Will Not Seek Re-Election

Former HTWG Members from 111th Congress

Although the membership is somewhat fluid, there were at least 100 members, almost all of them from the Democratic Party. This constituted more than one-third of the Democratic membership of the 111th Congress. Note that the two Republicans in the HTWG, Walter B. Jones of North Carolina and Chris Smith of New Jersey, began their careers as Democrats. Twenty-one HTWG members were defeated in the 2010 Congressional elections and another three members declined to seek re-election.

Ways and Means Committee Members

Only two of the HTWG members are also members of the House of Representative's Ways and Means Committee, the committee responsible for trade agreements. Democrats Brian Higgins and Linda Sanchez were the only two Democrats (out of the 26) on the Ways and Means Committee that also caucus with the HTWG.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Letter to USTR Ron Kirk, January 20, 2010
  2. ↑ Letter to President Barack Obama, February 26, 2009
  3. ↑ Signers of the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act (H.R. 3012), June 2009,

External links

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