Capitol Hill Briefing 

# Restoring the Pro-Trade Consensus 

##### Watch the Event 

Download:

[ 

Video 

](https://fastly-unsigned-us-east-1-prod.brightcovecdn.com/media/v1/pmp4/static/clear/6039378657001/06de16bd-a939-440a-8254-9747d35a6948/781f7f8d-74ba-416d-a21e-9d83def8b5af/main.mp4) 

[ 

Video 

](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2009/hb-06-15-09.mp4) 

[ 

Audio 

](https://cdn.cato.org/archive-2009/hba-06-15-09.mp3) 

Join the conversation on X using [\#CatoEvents](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoEvents). Follow [@CatoInstitute](https://x.com/catoinstitute) on X to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute.

Date and Time 

June 15, 2009 12 - 1:30 PM EDT 

Location 

B-340 Rayburn House Office Building 

Share This Event 

##### Featuring 

Featuring **Rep. Henry Cuellar (D‑TX)**, Founder, Congressional Pro-Trade Caucus; and **Daniel J. Ikenson**, Associate Director, Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute. 

The bipartisan, pro-trade consensus that served U.S. interests so well for nearly six decades collapsed during the Bush administration. Today, the direction of U.S. trade policy remains unclear to most observers. Although President Obama seems to appreciate the importance of trade and speaks about the dangers of protectionism, the 111th Congress has given mixed signals on the topic. What caused the collapse of the pro-trade consensus? Can that consensus be restored? Is its restoration a requirement of meaningful and effective trade policy? If so, how can it be accomplished? Please join Congressman Cuellar and Cato scholar Daniel J. Ikenson to discuss the importance of restoring bipartisan support for open international commerce.

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).