Lawmakers urge Obama administration to expedite three pending trade agreements

“These agreements have the potential to add over $10 billion to our economy and will help to reinforce critical strategic partnerships,” he said. “Using the president’s own measure, that kind of expansion to our exports could create up to 250,000 new American jobs. At a time when we just saw the worst private sector jobs report in months, I would expect the administration to be more vocal and forceful when it comes to our trading opportunities.”

To complete the agreements, especially with Colombia and Panama, there are still a slate of “serious issues” that need to be resolved before those agreements can be submitted for congressional consideration. 

“Some of these issues go to core U.S. values and interests, such as the protection of labor rights,” Kirk said. “Any timetable will be contingent on the successful resolution of these issues.”

“There has been some progress” on labor rights, violence against labor leaders and the prosecution of the perpetrators, although there is a “fairly strong divergence of thought of how much progress has been made to provide basic rights.”

“Colombia and Panama have begun to take important steps, but more remains to be done,” Kirk said. “For this timetable to work, it will be critical for them to come to the table, prepared to take additional meaningful actions. We will be consulting closely with you and major stakeholders — including labor and human-rights groups — throughout this process.”

Still, the assurances didn’t quiet Republicans arguments to move all three trade agreements within the next six months. 

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, said “the time is up for Colombia and Panama.” 

“They have done all we asked and gone far beyond it,” he said. “We asked them to change labor, environmental and intellectual property standards, they did it and went beyond that. These three trade agreements need to be put forward in next six months.”

Brady said the committee wants to work with the administration to move the agreements forward and that they will be “an insistent partner.” 

“We can’t turn our backs on our trading partners,” he said. “Panama and Colombia agreements deserve movement now.”

Kirk said the process will move faster if lawmakers on the panel acknowledge the outstanding labor issues. He wants to ensure that everyone is heard.

“Let’s find common ground, stop pointing fingers at each other and move forward on the agreements,” Kirk told lawmakers. 

A U.S. trade team is headed to Colombia next week. The nation’s Vice President Angelino Garzón was in Washington last week, and Kirk said he is “encouraged by Colombia’s new leadership” and that they will “move as quickly and thoughtfully as they can.”

Colombia’s newest president, Juan Manuel Santos was inaugurated in August. 

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is headed to Colombia and Brazil the week of Feb. 20 to discuss trade issues. 

Baucus again called on the administration to resolve outstanding issues and lay out a timeline for submitting all three of the pending FTAs to Congress.  

“The delay in ratifying our free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama has been costly for our ranchers, farmers and businesses who are losing market share to competitors who have trade agreements with these fast-growing markets, so it is welcome news the Administration intends to develop a plan to move them forward. It is time to address the outstanding issues with the Colombia and Panama trade agreements,” he said in a statement.   

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the Finance Committee, said he welcomed news that the Korea free trade agreement would reach Congress in a few weeks. 

“The trade representative’s comment today about action on pending trade agreements is very good news, if it’s not more lip service,” he said. “The rest of the world has been moving forward with trade expansion, while this administration has put the United States on the sidelines, and it’s been at the expense of America’s workforce. The president’s made a commitment to doubling U.S. exports.  That’s impossible to achieve on the margins, without trade agreements.”