Obama to sign executive order creating trade enforcement panel

President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order today creating a U.S. panel to investigate unfair trade practices by nations including China, according to a statement from the White House.

The Interagency Trade Enforcement Center will bring together lawyers, researchers, analysts and agents to monitor and enforce trade agreements and laws, the White House said in an e-mailed statement. The panel’s director will be chosen by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, with a deputy selected by Commerce Secretary John Bryson and other staff coming from that agency, according to the statement.

Obama announced his intention to create the panel in his Jan. 24 State of the Union speech. His 2013 budget proposal submitted to Congress two weeks ago asked for $26 million in funding and at least 50 people. The panel will be supported by the Departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, Justice, State and Treasury, as well as the U.S. intelligence community, the White House said.

“This is designed to significantly increase our capacity to bring additional trade cases that will level the playing field against countries around the world, including China,” Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters during a budget briefing on Feb. 13.

The effort may aid Obama’s attempt to boost economic growth and cut unemployment by doubling exports to $3.14 trillion by 2015, from $1.57 trillion in 2009. Though the panel will be empowered to investigate all foreign trade, Obama cited China as a source of particular concern in his January speech to Congress.

Obama has also promised to boost support for U.S. manufacturers such as Boeing Co. that face subsidized foreign competition. On Feb. 17 he announced plans for Export-Import Bank financing for U.S. companies for domestic as well as overseas sales to match foreign competitors’ sources of official funding.

--Editors: Michael Shepard, Jim Rubin.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Martin in Washington at emartin21bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97bloomberg.net