Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is releasing a statement following the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) announcement that the U.S. will co-sign the World Trade Organization’s joint ministerial declaration on gender equality:
“I applaud this important step by the Biden Administration in advancing gender equality in the United States’ trade policy and agreements. I’ve long pushed for trade policies that put gender equity front and center, and I am pleased to see that the USTR is taking this issue seriously. The advancement of women’s rights and economic empowerment is a matter of human rights, economics and global security. We must continue to affirm the leadership of the United States in upholding human rights and supporting women’s full economic participation, globally. Now, we need to pass my Women’s Economic Empowerment in Trade Act, which would ensure the U.S. prioritizes the rights of women in our trade agreements with other countries. I will continue to work to get this legislation passed into law to strengthen trade standards on worker rights and the rights of women.”
Provisions of the Women’s Economic Employment in Trade Act, cosponsored by Senators Casey (D-PA), Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Menendez (D-NJ), were included in the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, passed by the Senate in June 2021.
