Centrist House Dems push for trade action

A group of centrist House Democrats is pushing for quick movement on three pending free-trade agreements.

The New Democrat Coalition, in a letter sent to President Obama on Friday, signaled their belief that trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama would help break down barriers for American goods and services. 

“Time is of the essence,” the lawmakers wrote. “Other nations have not hesitated to move forward aggressively on their own trade-barrier reducing treaties. In the meantime, U.S. farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and service providers will continue to face significant trade barriers and will be forced to adjust to rules that put us at a competitive disadvantage.”

The letter comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are hoping for progress on the three agreements, all of which were originally negotiated by the George W. Bush administration.

It was also sent around the same time that Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) — the chairmen of the Senate Finance and Foreign Relations committees, respectively — made their case for the Colombia pact in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. 

The senators wrote that further delay on the agreement threatened American jobs, and called for the renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance, a program that expired in February and helps workers displaced by international trade.

In recent weeks, Miriam Sapiro, the deputy U.S. trade representative, told a House panel that Colombia was making progress on labor safety and that she expected Panama to complete a tax information measure in the coming weeks. Those issues have worried some policymakers in Washington, and are part of the reason those two deals have not moved any further. 

The Obama administration has also basically said that the Korea pact is ready for Congress to consider.

In their letter, the New Democrat Coalition indicated they were pleased with the steps Panama and Colombia have taken on various issues. An aide to a coalition member said the group was largely happy with the way the administration was handling the three trade pacts, but also wanted to push for further movement on the deals. 

Last week, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he wanted the Korea deal passed before Memorial Day and that the administration should only submit the Panama and Colombia pacts when they are ready. Some Republican lawmakers have called for Congress to consider all three agreements by July 1.

The NDC letter to Obama was signed by Reps. Adam Smith (Wash.), Jim Moran (Va.), Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), Jim Himes (Conn.), Ron Kind (Wis.), Rick Larsen (Wash.) and Allyson Schwartz (Pa.).