|
Pelosi indicates delays on Bush-backed trade deals |
|
By Ian Swanson
|
|
Posted: 06/29/07 04:11 PM [ET] |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) today indicated that House Democrats are in no hurry to move forward with any of the administration’s trade priorities.
In a joint statement with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), Pelosi indicated trade deals negotiated with Peru and Panama will not be taken up until autumn at the soonest, even though the administration and business groups have clamored for Peru to be approved this summer.
In addition, the statement said Peru and Panama would have to change their domestic laws to reflect a May deal between the administration and House Democrats before Congress would further consider the two deals. That agreement has come under intense criticism from some Democrats representing districts with manufacturing interests.
The statement also said Rangel planned to lead a congressional delegation to Peru and Panama in August. “We have every expectation that, in the coming weeks, both the Peruvian Parliament and U.S. Congress will do whatever it takes to make certain that the agreement is implemented fully,” it said.
The statement said a renewal of “fast track,” set to expire Saturday, is not in the cards. “Our legislative priorities do not include the renewal of fast-track authority,” the statement said. Fast track makes it easier to negotiate trade deals because agreements signed under it cannot be amended by Congress.
“Taking a look at a new fast track requires a new president,” Levin said Thursday evening in an interview.
Deals with South Korea and Colombia face high hurdles, the statement made clear. It said concerns about violence in Colombia could not be resolved through a trade agreement. In the case of the Korean deal, the statement said the administration had not done enough to remove barriers to U.S. auto exports.
The statement comes a day after U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab wrote Rangel asking that he work with her on a renewal of fast track. On the same day, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) also called for an extension, and charged House Democrats with having a blind spot on trade.
"Hanging a closed for business sign on the U.S. would not be in the best nterests of American workers and consumers," USTR spokesman Sean Spicer said.
|
