Republicans Press Obama on Stalled Trade Deals

Dec. 11, 2009
The accords could generate jobs, say supporters of free-trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

A group of U.S. President Barack Obama's sharpest congressional critics urged him in a letter released Friday to revive stalled free trade pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea in early 2010.

The accords, which have languished amid stiff opposition from Democrats and their labor-union allies, could generate jobs at a time when the U.S. unemployment rate is at a quarter-century high, the Republican lawmakers wrote.

"In the interest of supporting American job creation, we ask that you jump-start the implementation process through your leadership," said the group, led by Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner.

The lawmakers called on Obama to promote the accords in his annual State of the Union speech -- typically in late January -- and pledged "to work steadfastly with you to implement each of these agreements as close to the start of next year as possible."

The message came two days after Obama told top lawmakers of both major U.S. parties from the Senate and House of Representatives in private talks that he supported moving forward with the stalled trade deals, one participant said.

Republican Representative Eric Cantor, who signed the letter, said on Thursday that Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had pledged at the meeting to make the accords "a priority" come January. Hoyer spokesman Katie Grant denied that account, saying that the Democratic leader "said we should pursue them, but he did not mention a timeline."

Democrats and labor unions have opposed the agreements on human rights grounds or because they view them as insufficiently opening overseas markets to U.S. goods or as hurting U.S. industries.

The accords cannot go into force unless they win U.S. congressional approval.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!