Washington, DC - Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and Ranking Member Jim McCrery (R-LA) issued the following joint statement today following House passage of H.R. 1830 as amended, providing for an eight-month extension of the Andean Trade Preference Programs:
“The Andean trade preferences have been a successful extension of our diplomacy and development efforts in this region to create new, viable economic opportunities as an alternative to the illicit narcotics trade. This program has received strong bipartisan support since its inception in 1991, and today`s vote reaffirms our commitment to be a partner in economic development in the Andean region."
The House voted 365 to 59 in favor of the legislation, which will now move to the Senate for consideration. The current set of Andean preferences is set to expire on Saturday, June 30 without action by Congress and the President to extend them.
