WASHINGTON - The Bush Administration today submitted to Congress the 2004 Trade Policy Agenda and the 2003 Annual Report of the President on the Trade Agreements Program. The agenda outlines the Administration's trade initiatives for the year and reviews its work and accomplishments in 2003.

"Trade and open markets contribute to healthy, growing economies. U.S. exports accounted for 25 percent of U.S. economic growth over the past decade and supported an estimated 12 million jobs. The Bush Administration will continue to move forward in 2004 to tear down barriers, cut import taxes and red tape, work for a level playing field, reduce poverty through growth, and build new markets that will support higher-paying U.S. jobs," wrote U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick in the overview agenda.

"Through an ambitious trade agenda, the United States is working to secure the benefits of open markets for American families, farmers, workers, consumers, and businesses. By pursuing multiple free trade initiatives, the United States is creating a ' competition for liberalization' that provides leverage for openness in all negotiations, establishes models of success that can be used on many fronts, and develops a fresh political dynamic that puts free trade on the offensive," Zoellick wrote. "While working to further open markets and level the playing field for U.S. exports of goods and services, the Administration will also continue to focus on monitoring and enforcing existing U.S. trade agreements and trade laws, building the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global economy, and making the case for free trade to the American public."

The 2004 Trade Policy Agenda and 2003 Annual Report is prepared according to the guidelines established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.

A bound copy of the report for credentialed media will be available at the USTR press office. For information on picking up the report, call 202-395-3230.