WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, urged President Donald J. Trump to prioritize digital trade in a renegotiated NAFTA and “set the highest possible bar” for the internet’s economic potential. Sens. Thune and Wyden introduced the Digital Trade Act of 2013, a significant portion of which was incorporated into Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation in 2015.

Excerpt from their letter to President Trump:
 
“Our opening position in negotiations for NAFTA 2.0 should be a strong defense of American interests, which means that we should not begin with the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which was the result of years of give-and-take between 12 countries. Beyond data flow and data localization provisions, a modernized NAFTA should, among other things, secure the clearest liability protections for websites hosting user speech and commerce, the toughest bans on discriminatory licensing terms for online services, customs thresholds and procedures that work for small online sellers, and a copyright regime that is consistent with the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015.”

The full letter to the president may be viewed here.