Peoria Standard

Congressman Darin LaHood of Illinois, along with several colleagues, has sent a letter to President Trump commending the administration for reaching a trade agreement with the European Union. The letter also urges the president to ensure that the EU upholds its commitments to address digital trade policies that U.S. lawmakers consider discriminatory against American companies.

The lawmakers stated, “The current trade negotiations provide a historic moment to stand up against the EU’s unfair treatment of American firms and establish a level playing field. We strongly support comprehensive commitments that ensure the EU addresses its existing discriminatory laws and refrains from imposing similar measures in the future. Otherwise, the EU will simply replace existing policies with new laws that disadvantage American companies.”

In their message, they congratulated President Trump on what they called a "landmark deal" and encouraged continued pressure on the EU regarding its digital trade barriers. They referenced specific European laws such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Digital Services Act, and Data Act, arguing these measures primarily affect American firms while exempting European competitors. The letter also warned that restricting U.S. technology could make Europe more reliant on Chinese infrastructure.

The lawmakers criticized previous U.S. government leadership under President Biden for not confronting these issues, which they claim enabled other countries—such as Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Kingdom—to consider similar regulations targeting American technology firms. They cited recent actions against Canada’s digital services tax as an example of successful intervention.

Darin LaHood currently represents Illinois’ 16th congressional district in Congress after replacing Aaron Schock in 2015 (https://lahood.house.gov/about). In 2022, he was re-elected by defeating Elizabeth Haderlein in the general election with 66.3% of the vote compared to her 33.6%.

The letter concludes: “Thank you for your leadership. We stand ready to support you in these efforts.”