Republican Ryan wants trade talks with Britain

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Politics | Tue Jun 28, 2016 10:15am EDT

Republican Ryan wants trade talks with Britain

Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, called on Tuesday for Washington, in parallel with its negotiations with Europe, to pursue a separate free trade agreement with Britain, once it has formally separated from the European Union.

Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican in the United States, echoed a call from many members of his party, who have dismissed President Barack Obama's contention that Britain will be at the "back of the queue" for trade talks. Obama issued that warning in April when he intervened to try to persuade Britons to vote to remain in the June 23 referendum on staying or leaving the EU.

Free trade agreements require the approval of both houses of the U.S. Congress. Ryan's Republicans currently control a majority in both the House and Senate.

EU and U.S. negotiations had sought to conclude the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks before Obama leaves office in January. Although many of his fellow Democrats oppose trade deals as a potential threat to U.S. jobs, Obama has worked with Republicans to pass trade measures.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-usa-congress-idUSKCN0ZE1M7

[whatthehey]

1. Well.. sure

That "once it has formally separated" bit is pretty key. They are covered by EU treaties while still a part of it, but after that wouldn't it actually be seen by most people as a good idea to have agreed upon formal trading terms with a top-10 global economy and long term ally? This is kinda like saying "Ryan wants to have some sort of border control agreement with Canada!"