Senate Panel Members Question Administration on Pending Free Trade Agreements

Several lawmakers expressed their disappointment to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk at a recent hearing that the Obama administration has not yet sent the free trade agreement deals to Congress that were signed in 2007 with Panama, Colombia and South Korea.

Several lawmakers expressed their disappointment to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk at a recent hearing that the Obama administration has not yet sent the free trade agreement deals to Congress that were signed in 2007 with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. Kirk appeared before Senate Finance Committee to discuss administration's trade agenda, but much of the session focused on those three FTAs.

The United States "should approve the trade agreements that we have already negotiated and signed," said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). "We must address the remaining obstacles to these agreements. But we must also recognize the consequences of further delay. Our competitors are signing trade deals that will put our farmers and businesses at a competitive disadvantage unless we act." His concern stemmed not only from a pact the European Union signed with South Korea but also a trade deal Canada recently concluded with Colombia .

" South Korea has already concluded a trade agreement with the European Union, and Colombia has reportedly just done the same," said committee ranking minority member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "Such erosion to global U.S. competitiveness concerns me." He added that while unions in this country "are delaying [the Colombia FTA], people in Peoria want to sell Caterpillar" equipment and are instead seeing competition from Europe .

In response, Kirk pledged to lawmakers the administration still views these trade deals as important. "This administration believes that properly negotiated, these are an important and critical component of our export strategy. And we have not given up on any of those," Kirk said. He would not offer any timeline for when the trade deals would be presented to Congress, but did say that proposals would be given to Colombia "over the next several months, if not weeks" to resolve outstanding issues.

"The FTA's are a priority," Kirk told lawmakers. And he assured lawmakers that the administration will be able to present deals that will garner bipartisan support once outstanding issues are addressed. "Trade is always a tough sell until you explain it," he acknowledged.

Kirk also denied that labor interests were holding up the trade deals, saying they do not have veto power. "Labor has not delayed our move," Kirk said. "But labor does have a seat at the table with this administration." But he would only say "we'll see" when asked if the trade deals would be sent forward without the backing of labor unions.

Kirk's testimony and comments continue to signal administration backing for the Panama , Colombia and South Korea FTAs, but the comments by Finance Committee members clearly underscore that backing is not being evidenced in action on the deals.

As things currently stand, the odds remain low that any of the trade deals will be forwarded to Congress before the November elections, with the possible exception of the Panama pact.

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