Icebergs outpace Congress
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) today urged Congress to approve trade agreements the Bush administration has signed with Peru, Panama, Colombia and South Korea. In remarks on the Senate’s first day back after the summer recess, McConnell criticized the Democrats’ record of achievement and cited as an example the lack of progress on the trade pacts.
‘There are at least four vital free trade agreements that have not been acted upon,’ said McConnell, who blamed the bitter, partisan atmosphere on Capitol Hill for slowing things down. ‘There’s only one way to accomplish all of that. It’s going to have to be done on a largely bipartisan basis.’
Prospects for the administration’s trade deals looked uncertain when Democrats took power in January, but in May, Democrats announced they had come to an agreement with the White House on handling related environmental and labor issues. Since then, there has been little movement but lots of squabbling among Democrats, trade advocates and the administration. The only bright spot: The powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), traveled to Peru in August and promised that country’s pact would be a priority this month. Prospects for the other deals remain unclear.
Posted by Nicole Gaouette in Washington