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Rangel and Levin defend trade deal against caucus criticism |
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By Ian Swanson
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Posted: 05/23/07 07:22 PM [ET] |
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) yesterday defended their deal on trade policy from fellow Democrats’ criticisms during a weekly caucus meeting on trade.
Rangel said he wasn’t asking members to vote for either the Panama or Peru free-trade deals that could come to the floor for votes as a result of the deal negotiated with committee Republicans and the administration, according to sources who attended the meeting.
Rangel also promised that any trade agreement that comes to the floor for a vote will have to include the principles worked out under the new agreement announced two weeks ago.
He told members that the discussion on whether to extend President Bush’s fast-track authority, which expires at the end of next month, has not begun. Without fast track, deals negotiated by the administration can be amended on the floor, making them much harder to negotiate.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) sought assurances during the meeting that the deal did not signal a move to extend fast track, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also defended the decision to announce the deal on May 10 without holding a Democratic Caucus meeting to discuss details. She told the caucus that Democratic leaders felt they had to seize the moment, according to one source who was at the meeting.
The deal worked out by Rangel and Levin requires that several deals include new commitments on labor, the environment and rules protecting drug patents. It is expected to pave the way for votes this year on the Peru and Panama deals, but it is not expected to lead to votes on bigger, more controversial deals with Colombia and South Korea.
Legal text for the deals must still be written, and the deal on principles has met stiff criticism from some on the left, including Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) in a May 17 floor speech.
Other members who were critical or had questions about the deal included Reps. Mike Michaud (Maine) and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), sources said. Rep. Dale Kildee (Mich.) criticized the process that led to the deal’s announcement, a House aide said.
Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio), who had led fellow freshmen in arguing for a role in framing trade policy, also spoke during the meeting. In a statement last week, she said the deal was welcome news, but questioned whether the administration would enforce stronger labor and environmental standards in future trade agreements. She also withheld judgment on the Peru and Panama agreements.
Several other members spoke out in favor of the deal, including Reps. Joseph Crowley (N.Y.), Vic Snyder (Ark.), Earl Pomeroy (N.D.), Richard Neal (Mass.) and Jim Marshall (Ga.), a source who attended the meeting said.
Business lobbyists have said it is unclear whether either the Peru or Panama deals will receive even a majority of support from the Democratic Caucus. These sources expect the deals will need as many as 150 votes from Republicans to be approved. |
