The protectionists in Congress have succeeded in killing the free-trade deal with Colombia:
President Bush said yesterday that a trade agreement with Colombia is “dead” unless House Democrats agree to hold a vote on the pact, effectively admitting defeat on a White House priority.
After meeting with his Cabinet, Bush lashed out at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for putting off a vote on the free-trade pact, which the administration views as important for U.S. national security and the economy. “This free-trade agreement is in our national interests,” Bush said. “Yet that bill is dead unless the speaker schedules a definite vote.”
Pelosi fired back by accusing Bush of being “out of touch” with the “concerns of America’s working families.” She said the House will take no action on the Colombia pact until it considers other legislation aimed at aiding the U.S. economy.
The standoff over Colombia began last week, after Bush submitted the trade agreement to Congress and urged lawmakers to approve it within the normal deadline of 90 legislative days. Democrats, who say the pact does not provide enough protections for workers, then voted to postpone the decision indefinitely.
As yesterday’s exchange indicated, any further action on the trade deal appears unlikely for the remainder of Bush’s term. The president has sought to make free trade a signature policy of his administration.
And, given the political climate, I fear this is only the beginning of a very bad trend.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am
“Free Trade” is not “free” when American workers are made to compete with slave labor of Communist China, sweatshops of India or subsidized industries of other nations.
Colombia could become a good trading partner with the USA, but Bush’s plan did not provide sufficient measures to prevent still more losses of jobs. Pelosi, for once, did the right thing to reject the plan.
Bush has lied his ass off so many times now; about the war, about torture, about domestic spying, etc. Congress would be stupid to go along with any of his proposals without examining them for special favors for Neocon objectives or special sweetheart deals for some big multinational pal of “W.”
Certainly we should promote Fair Trade policies, but not policies or programs that further erode our strategic manufacturing base and lose more American jobs.