Wyden talks trade extenders

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told us today that he’s open to an extension of key trade programs that expired Sept. 30, but Wyden noted that adding changes into the mix would complicate the effort.

There’s momentum to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act and Haiti HOPE/HELP by the end of the year. The programs offer certain products duty-free access to U.S. markets. AGOA covers hundreds of products from sub-Saharan African countries, while HOPE/HELP is for Haitian apparel and textiles.