By a unanimous vote of 39 to 0, the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives today approved the implementing legislation for the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA). (Members may recall that under Trade Promotion Authority, the Congress votes on the implementing legislation for the agreement, not the actual agreement itself.) Obviously, this bodes well for favorable consideration of the agreement by the full House, scheduled for sometime next week. And, it is also encouraging as we look ahead to a vote on the agreement in the Senate Finance Committee and the full Senate, which is likely to occur sometime prior to the Thanksgiving holiday break.
This is the first time that a trade agreement negotiated by the Bush Administration has garnered such a pronounced degree of bipartisan support. Unfortunately, this bipartisan spirit is not expected to extend to other agreements currently in the Congressional pipeline, namely the pending agreements with Colombia and Panama, as each of those accords have generated significant opposition for various reasons. Indeed, our contacts on Capitol Hill indicate that it is unlikely – possible, but unlikely – that either the Colombia or the Panama agreement will come up for Congressional consideration this year.
In a public announcement on today’s vote, Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) stated as follows:
I want to reinforce the importance of the changes that took place in our American trade policy earlier this year to make it clear that, at the end of the day, no matter what agreement we are talking about, certain basic principles would be included in a bipartisan way. The inclusion of core standards for labor and important environmental protections, including an historic agreement on logging and greater access to life-saving medicines represent the culmination of a decade-long effort to incorporate these principles into the text of US trade agreements. By including these provisions, we make it possible for members to consider these agreements on their merits and substance, rather than feel as though they have been excluded from the process.
Chairman Rangel, currently serving his 19th term in Congress, has earned widespread praise for his handling of this legislation. And, indeed, to navigate a free trade agreement through his pivotal committee with all Democrats on board is a rare and notable achievement.
AFI has been active in supporting the Peru TPA through a series of submissions to key Congressional officials and face-to-face meetings with key Members and staff.
