Republican Senators Urge USTR to Negotiate FTA With Kenya
Seven Republican senators, led by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., are asking U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to restart negotiations with Kenya begun in the last administration, with a goal of signing a free trade agreement. They sent a letter Aug. 20 that argued that a free trade agreement "would build on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of 2000, which expires in 2025. ... A U.S.-Kenya FTA would strengthen trade and commercial ties at a time when China and Russia are seeking economic influence across the African continent. The U.S. would ultimately be able to further promote human rights, the rule of law, economic development and positive relations with Kenya and Africa through a FTA."
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The USTR issued a readout of her video call with Kenya's trade minister on Aug. 23, saying they "discussed the importance of Kenya and the African continent to the Biden-Harris Administration. The trade ministers also discussed their shared worker-centered values, a resilient pandemic recovery, and strengthening the U.S.-Kenya economic and trade relationship." No mention was made of a FTA.