Congress OKs 3 trade deals

October 13, 2011

POLITICO

By SEUNG MIN KIM

Congress on Wednesday approved three long-stalled free-trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

Both the Senate and House sent the free-trade agreements to the White House with large bipartisan majorities — marking a rare moment of congressional agreement amid months of partisan bickering over jobs and the economy. Advocates say the deals will result in the export of billions of dollars of U.S. goods and boost hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

“Tonight’s vote, with bipartisan support, will significantly boost exports that bear the proud label “Made in America,” support tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs and protect labor rights, the environment and intellectual property,” President Obama said.

The Senate approved the Panama deal 77-22 while the agreement with South Korea passed 83-15 and Colombia 66-33.

“Tonight’s vote is good for our country, it’s good for our countries, but it’s also good for America’s role in the world because it shows the United States Congress can move forward on these issues,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who negotiated the deals under the George W. Bush adminstration, told POLITICO. “I think this will send a positive message around the world that the United States wants to be engaged and involved in trade.”

Meanwhile in the House, the Panama pact passed 300-129, while South Korea passed 278-151. The most controversial pact – the agreement with Colombia – passed 262-167, with a majority of Democrats opposing the deal.

The House also passed a program, 307-122, paired with the free-trade agreements that would provide financial aid and retraining assistance for U.S. workers who lose their jobs due to trade. The Senate had already approved that measure.

“This is just long overdue,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on the House floor before the vote. “This creates jobs.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also praised the deals and prodded policymakers to pursue a more aggressive trade agenda.

“Passing these trade agreements represents a victory for American workers, American competitiveness, and American leadership,” the Chamber’s CEO, Tom Donohue, said in a statement. “It means we will immediately stop losing jobs to our competitors who have cut their own deals and we can start creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs for Americans.”

White House estimates show that the deals could bolster Americans exports to those countries by at least $13 billion and the International Trade Commission says they could create 250,000 in the United States.

The timing of the votes was critical, since President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea is expected to address a joint session of Congress on Thursday afternoon.

The trade agreements were negotiated under the administration of George W. Bush, but languished for years as they faced opposition from Democrats and labor organizations who contended that the deals would ultimately harm American workers. After working out an agreement with Congress over the worker-assistance program, the Obama administration submitted the trade deals to Capitol Hill.

The measures were expected to pass the House with bipartisan support, but the Colombia deal came under fire from Democrats, who protested the agreement because of violence against labor workers in Colombia. And many Democrats opposed all three deals, saying they weren’t convinced that the deals wouldn’t kill U.S. jobs.

“I am totally opposed to agreements that trade good American jobs for no jobs, and I have yet to see a free trade bill that is a fair trade bill,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who voted no on all three deals.

House Democrats also tried a last-ditch effort for a vote on a measure targeting countries that undervalue their currency – a bill that Democrats say are necessary to protect U.S. workers – but that measure failed, 236-192.

<- Go Back