Administration Says South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement Ready to Move 'Today'

The Obama administration considers the recently re-negotiated free trade agreement with South Korea ready to move "today," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis recently told the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

The Obama administration considers the recently re-negotiated free trade agreement with South Korea ready to move "today," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis recently told the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said Republicans feel that there is a sense of urgency to all three pending FTAs but denied that the GOP was holding up consideration of the South Korea FTA as it waited for the White House to complete work on agreements with Colombia and Panama.

Separately, President Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met April 7 at the White House where they voiced their support for the U.S.-Colombia FTA. Following the meeting, Santos pledged that his country will begin to quickly take steps toward assuring rights and justice for workers, a key sticking point among congressional Democrats. He said his country has waited for five years to get the "green light" to move forward on the trade pacts.

The Korea FTA was negotiated by the George W. Bush administration under trade promotion authority rules, meaning a vote on the Korea pact implementing legislation must be held within 90 legislative days of the administration submitting it to Congress.

Before an implementing bill is formally introduced, which begins the process, Congress and the administration usually hold discussions on the draft legislation are usually held and the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees hold "mock markups" of the legislation.

Once the Ways and Means Committee submits implementing legislation to the full House, that chamber would be required to conduct an up-or-down vote (no amendments) within 60 legislative days. The Senate they would have another 30 legislative days after the House voted.

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