Barshefsky: U.S. is first step in creating a “critical mass for change”

Former U.S. Trade Representative under President Clinton, Charlene Barshefsky, says that the U.S. has always done best when working with a relatively small group of countries to begin to create a “critical mass for change.” She says that this is what the U.S. needs to do within international financial institutions and in respect to climate change. Barshefsky says that if the U.S. “can’t get its act together,” developing countries are not likely to move in the direction of renovating financial institutions or in the direction of climate change. (1:35)
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Sen. Baucus: Fostering America’s competitiveness in global trade market

Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) says that trade growth has not come without costs to the U.S. He explains that American workers have ben displaced from their jobs, environmental and labor standards have not kept pace with economic growth, and America’s current account deficit looms larger than ever. Baucus says that it is “up to this Congress and the next” to address these issues. He says Congress must foster America’s competitiveness by ensuring maximum opportunities for the country’s companies by ensuing that “our trading partners play by the rules, at home and abroad.” (0:53)
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