On Wednesday evening, Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) received the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) 2016 Trade and Investment Leadership Award.

In presenting the award to Congressman Cuellar, ECAT’s chairman, Harold McGraw III, stated:

“[Congressman Henry Cuellar] was first elected to represent the 28th district of Texas in 2005. In 2009, Congressman Cuellar founded the bi-partisan House Pro-Trade Caucus, and currently serves as its Chairman. Congressman Cuellar is a leading voice on U.S. trade policy and international commercial engagement, having advocated in support of numerous trade and investment initiatives over the past decade. Most recently, he played an important role in the passage of Trade Promotion Authority legislation and supported and urged the passage of trade agreements with Bahrain, Central America, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Oman, Panama, Peru, and South Korea. His recent testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission was in support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and focused on the agreement’s benefits to the Lone Star State.”

The award was also presented to Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH-12). In presenting the award to Congressman Tiberi, McGraw stated:

“Congressman Tiberi was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. Since that time, he has been involved with every major piece of trade legislation over the past decade...His history of supporting policies and legislation to expand international trade and investment has been a defining aspect of his leadership, and a consistent element of his public service. He has been a vocal proponent of trade agreements and legislation that strengthen the ability of American companies in Ohio and across the United States to sell their goods and services abroad and thereby support jobs and economic growth here at home. In his former role as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade, he played an instrumental role in the passage of Trade Promotion Authority legislation last year. Additionally, he supported and urged the passage of trade agreements with Australia, Bahrain, Central America, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore, and South Korea by vocalizing the benefits of trade for American businesses and workers.”

In his keynote remarks, McGraw emphasized that “this is a critical time for U.S. trade policy.” He named the congressional consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the ongoing negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Trade in Services Agreement as three key priorities for ECAT.

Congressman Cuellar receives the Emergency Committee for American Trade’s 2016 Trade and Investment Leadership Award Wednesday evening. The award recognizes two members of Congress, one from each party, for working for good trade and investment policy.