ID :
26516
Sat, 10/25/2008 - 15:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/26516
The shortlink copeid
Congress urged to ratify pending FTAs in lame duck session
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- The White House Friday repeated a call for Congress to convene a lame duck session after the Nov. 4 presidential election to pass the pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
"We have three free trade agreements in front of the Congress right now:
Colombia, Panama and South Korea," spokesperson Dana Perino said in a daily news
briefing. "We'd like to see those voted on. They're in front of Congress. It
would be the fastest way to be able to help a lot of workers across this
country."
Perino said she was not sure when the session will actually be held.
"I think that the Democrats will come back and call for a lame duck session, but
I don't know that for sure," she said. "I'd have to refer you to the speaker's
office for that. But I don't think that you'll see any actions before the
election on anything that would be shaped up for that lame duck."
The spokesperson said the trade deals will greatly help the U.S. economy
struggling with the current financial crisis.
"One of the best ways to deal with one part of our economy that has been doing
very well, which has been exports -- and it's been starting to shrink -- would be
to open up more markets to American workers and American businesses," she said.
U.S. President George W. Bush said last week that he expects Congress to get
together next month, adding, "One of their top priorities should be to approve
this vital agreement with Colombia as well as with Panama and South Korea."
South Korean and U.S. officials say that Congress will approve the Korea-U.S. FTA
after the elections, although congressional Democrats are reluctant to act on the
politically sensitive bill in an election year.
Critics say the free trade deal, the biggest for America since the early 1990s,
when the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, will deepen U.S. trade
deficits and cost jobs for Americans struggling with the financial turmoil caused
by falling housing prices and subprime mortgages.
Proponents say the deal will help enhance the two-way trade volume by US$20
billion annually.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama last week expressed opposition to
the free trade deal with South Korea, citing an imbalance in auto trade.
"When it comes to South Korea, we've got a trade agreement up right now -- they
are sending hundreds of thousands of South Korean cars into the United States --
that's all good, (but) we can only get 4,000 to 5,000 into South Korea," Obama
said in the third and last presidential debate.
"That is not free trade," said Obama, who recently called the Korea-U.S. FTA
"badly flawed." "We've got to have a president who is going to be advocating on
behalf of American businesses and American workers."
South Korea shipped about 700,000 automobiles to the U.S. last year while
importing 5,000 from the U.S. Democrats also want more steel shipments to South
Korea.
U.S. automakers have called for a guaranteed market share, but Bush
administration officials say any trade deal will not guarantee market share.
The Democratic platform calls for Democrats to negotiate FTAs that include
enforceable labor and environmental standards.
The Republican platform, meanwhile, demands: "Trade agreements that have already
been signed and are pending before Congress should be debated and voted on
immediately."
"We have three free trade agreements in front of the Congress right now:
Colombia, Panama and South Korea," spokesperson Dana Perino said in a daily news
briefing. "We'd like to see those voted on. They're in front of Congress. It
would be the fastest way to be able to help a lot of workers across this
country."
Perino said she was not sure when the session will actually be held.
"I think that the Democrats will come back and call for a lame duck session, but
I don't know that for sure," she said. "I'd have to refer you to the speaker's
office for that. But I don't think that you'll see any actions before the
election on anything that would be shaped up for that lame duck."
The spokesperson said the trade deals will greatly help the U.S. economy
struggling with the current financial crisis.
"One of the best ways to deal with one part of our economy that has been doing
very well, which has been exports -- and it's been starting to shrink -- would be
to open up more markets to American workers and American businesses," she said.
U.S. President George W. Bush said last week that he expects Congress to get
together next month, adding, "One of their top priorities should be to approve
this vital agreement with Colombia as well as with Panama and South Korea."
South Korean and U.S. officials say that Congress will approve the Korea-U.S. FTA
after the elections, although congressional Democrats are reluctant to act on the
politically sensitive bill in an election year.
Critics say the free trade deal, the biggest for America since the early 1990s,
when the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, will deepen U.S. trade
deficits and cost jobs for Americans struggling with the financial turmoil caused
by falling housing prices and subprime mortgages.
Proponents say the deal will help enhance the two-way trade volume by US$20
billion annually.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama last week expressed opposition to
the free trade deal with South Korea, citing an imbalance in auto trade.
"When it comes to South Korea, we've got a trade agreement up right now -- they
are sending hundreds of thousands of South Korean cars into the United States --
that's all good, (but) we can only get 4,000 to 5,000 into South Korea," Obama
said in the third and last presidential debate.
"That is not free trade," said Obama, who recently called the Korea-U.S. FTA
"badly flawed." "We've got to have a president who is going to be advocating on
behalf of American businesses and American workers."
South Korea shipped about 700,000 automobiles to the U.S. last year while
importing 5,000 from the U.S. Democrats also want more steel shipments to South
Korea.
U.S. automakers have called for a guaranteed market share, but Bush
administration officials say any trade deal will not guarantee market share.
The Democratic platform calls for Democrats to negotiate FTAs that include
enforceable labor and environmental standards.
The Republican platform, meanwhile, demands: "Trade agreements that have already
been signed and are pending before Congress should be debated and voted on
immediately."
