Back from the other Washington on a summer recess, Congressman Dave Reichert (R-Auburn) made an appearance Wednesday to discuss trade at a lunch meeting hosted by the Kent Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking about international trade, Reichert told the more than 80 in attendance at Meridian Valley Country Club that the United States must define world trade in the next century.

“We must be the leaders in the global economy,” he said during his 30-minute speech.

Reichert is presently serving his third term as the representative from the Eighth Congressional District of Washington. Reichert serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, with appointments to three subcommittees: Trade, Oversight and Social Security.

Calling the current state of trade “a little bit sad,” Reichert said we are moving out of the information age and into an “entrepreneurial age” in which Americans must be at the fore of both trade and energy, including technologies that may not yet be invented.

Citing his work on the as a police officer during the search for the Green River Killer, Reichert said he remembers taking evidence samples in 1982 that did not pay off until technology caught up in 2001.

The message, he said, is that “the science will improve.”

“If we can do that, we as Americans can invent the new energy of the future,” he said, calling it “critical” that the United States lead the world in trade.

Reichert cited the region’s importance in the world economy and national economy, noting that 70 percent of the goods brought into the ports of Seattle and Tacoma are distributed throughout the rest of the country.

To make his point, Reichert spoke of a recent trade visit he took to Columbia in which a trade agreement could not be reached, causing Columbia to sign a pact with Canada instead, leading to the ports losing some business to our neighbor to the north.

“This is one of the reasons we have to lead in this global economy,” he said. “This is not just important to Boeing and Microsoft, it’s important to every one of you in this room.”

When asked about the current state of things in Washington, D.C., and the effect it is having on trade, Reichert said there is difficulty in getting both parties to see things the same way, but added that being a “roadblock” to trade is not acceptable because it leads to job losses in the U.S.

Reichert said the good news is that members of Congress can build relationships with each other that develop trust, but the current political situation leaves a congressman considered “vulnerable” in the next election, like himself, unable to get legislation passed because the opposing party wants him to appear weak come election time.

At the core, however, Reichert said his message was about the importance of the U.S. leading the world.

“I think the way we become the leader – because we’re not right now – is America has to define what the global economy will look like.”

The membership luncheon was also sponsored by the Auburn and U.S. Chambers of Commerce.