Matthew Shay, President and CEO, National Retail Federation

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Matthew Shay

As retailers head into 2015, it’s time to demand more of Washington on international trade and the supply chain our industry relies on to get merchandise from the factory to the store.

For years, trade legislation has stagnated, leaving the United States saddled by protectionist barriers that drive up prices for consumers and limit the competitiveness of our exports. It’s time to put an end to that.

The first thing Congress must do is renew presidential Trade Promotion Authority so major trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership can receive a simple up-or-down vote rather than be subject to endless amendments. Lawmakers also need to renew measures such as the Generalized System of Preferences and the African Growth and Opportunity Act that allow goods to be imported duty-free.

Once we open up the flow of trade, we need to make sure the supply chain can get it to its destination. That means passing a new transportation funding bill and finding a long-term sustainable mechanism to pay for it. Transportation policy must include a national freight policy that eliminates the bottlenecks and inefficiencies limiting the growth of U.S. businesses.

The private sector also has to do its part. The supply chain of today needs to be transformed. We all know the reasons for the congestion we’ve seen, especially on the West Coast. Retailers can’t go through another year of unpredictability and costly contingency planning to ensure that merchandise gets to the shelves in time. It’s time for all supply chain partners to work together to develop sustainable solutions that benefit everyone.

It’s not too late for the United States to regain its leadership in the global economy. Let’s make 2015 the year when everyone works together to achieve that goal.

Matthew Shay, President and CEO, National Retail Federation