United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-09-06 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-GGD-95-234 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234 P0b002ee1803949c3 f:tgg95234 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234 T-GGD-95-234 Trade policies Exporting International trade Trade regulation Interagency relations Data collection operations Sales promotion International economic relations Proposed legislation North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Trade Reorganization Act of 1995 Dept. of Commerce Dismantling Act Testimony GGD GAO discussed proposed legislation to merge the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) with several Department of Commerce offices and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and to create a U.S. Trade Administration (USTA). GAO noted that: (1) creating a trade administration that lacks cabinet-level department status could lead to the perception that the new agency does not have the status of either USTR or the Department of Commerce; (2) the proposed legislation would combine the trade functions of only three U.S. government agencies and does not address opportunities for consolidating the functions of other U.S. government agencies that carry out significant trade responsibilities; (3) the proposed legislation appears to eliminate the U.S. Commercial Service's domestic network thus eliminating the link between U.S. businesses and commercial offices overseas; and (4) the placement of the Bureau of Export Administration in the new entity would diminish the office's status relative to the Departments of Defense and State for purposes of interagency coordination of export control issues. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234/html/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234.htm GAO/T-GGD-95-234 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-234 Testimony GAO/T-GGD-95-234; Government Reorganization: Observations About Creating a U.S. Trade Administration; Trade policies Exporting International trade Trade regulation Interagency relations Data collection operations Sales promotion International economic relations Proposed legislation North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Trade Reorganization Act of 1995 Dept. of Commerce Dismantling Act