Commerce official hints at slower trade deal timing

Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez this morning hinted that the Obama administration will not attempt to move three outstanding trade agreements in tandem early this year, and is instead likely to focus on the South Korea free trade agreement (FTA). This position puts the administration at odds with the new House Republican majority, which wants to bring FTAs with Korea, Panama and Colombia to the House floor by this summer.

Speaking on C-SPAN this morning, Sanchez said the administration would put forward the Korea implementing legislation "very soon." The administration and South Korea last month updated its agreement with Korea that will allow the U.S. to maintain its minimal auto tariffs on Korean cars, and reduce barriers to imports of U.S. cars, changes that are seen as helping to build a critical mass of Democrats who favor the Korea FTA.

But when asked to react to Republican demands to move all three FTAs, Sanchez said the administration also supports all three, but added that "not all trade agreements are created equal." Sanchez said the administration wants to move the FTAs when they are in the best interest of U.S. workers, and said all three would be pursued once this is achieved.

Sanchez was not specific this morning, but the White House has signaled since last month that it is not prepared to send legislation to the Congress that would implement the Colombia FTA. Democrats are known to be worried about what they charge is violence in Colombia that is targeted at union leaders, and thus are skittish about supporting that agreement until more is done to curb that violence.

In mid-December, outgoing White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Colombia implementing legislation would not be sent to Congress in the near future because it "doesn't have the votes."

Over the weekend, House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) again said that Republicans want to move all three FTAs this year. Tomorrow, the House Ways & Means Committee holds a hearing on the three FTAs that will focus on the benefits they will bring to U.S. workers, and to highlight the efforts all three countries have made to address outstanding U.S. issues.