Congress urged to renew worker training funding ahead of FTAs deliberation

By Hwang Doo-hyong WASHINGTON, May 16 (Yonhap) -- The Obama administration Monday urged Congress to renew funding for the retraining of displaced workers ahead of congressional deliberation of the free trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. "The administration will not submit implementing legislation on the three pending free trade agreements until we have a deal with Congress on the renewal of a robust, expanded TAA program consistent with the objectives of the 2009 Trade Adjustment Assistance law," National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling said in a conference call. Congressional Republicans have opposed the renewal of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program for the retraining of workers displaced due to foreign competition. The program expired in February after being extended two years ago as part of Obama's stimulus plans to help the world's biggest economy muddle through the worst recession in decades. Republicans cite the need to cut the burgeoning federal budget deficit. Speaking to reporters on the conference call, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk supported Sperling's remarks. "We want to make it clear that movement forward on the pending FTAs must be accompanied by a robust renewal of trade adjustment," Kirk said. "I want to make it plain that we have been equally insistent throughout this process that we wanted a holistic approach to our trade agenda and that we saw the renewal of and commitment of our Congress to America's workers through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program as critical to helping move our trade agenda forward." The top trade official, however, backed away from Sperling's insistence on linking TAA to the submission of the FTAs to Congress. "We are not, for purposes of this, linking them to that," he said. "But we are asking that Congress work with us so that we can renew those programs." The Obama administration early this month began technical consultations with congressional staff members on the trade deals ahead of their official presentation to Congress. Kirk has said he wants Congress to approve the Korea deal before July 1, when a similar deal between South Korea and the European Union takes effect. The Korea FTA, along with the Colombia and Panama deals, were negotiated under the Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002, which requires Congress to vote yes or no without amendments within 90 days of the deal's submission. House Speaker John Boehner has expressed his intention to have the Korea FTA and similar deals with Panama and Colombia pass through Congress before the August recess. The Obama administration has in recent months cleared obstacles to the congressional approval of the three trade deals. Washington produced a supplemental agreement with Seoul in December to address U.S. concerns over lopsided auto trade, the biggest hurdle to congressional approval. The new deal calls for a delayed phase-out of auto tariffs in return for Washington's concessions on pork and medicine. Last month, Washington also reached a new deal with Colombia on labor rights, which have served as a stumbling block to congressional approval of the trade agreement, and another with Panama to allow exchanges of tax information to prevent tax evasion in the Latin American state, often criticized for serving as a tax haven. Miriam Sapiro, deputy U.S trade representative, told the Senate Finance Committee last week that the exact timing for the deals' submission depends on discussions with Congress. "There are discussions ongoing about the exact sequencing and scheduling, of being able to accomplish all of our trade initiatives this year and we look forward to that discussion continuing and concluding as soon as possible," she said.