WASHINGTON - House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) spoke before the weekly meeting of the House Democratic Caucus today on the pending consideration of the US-Peru free trade agreement (FTA). Chairman Rangel shared with his colleagues his belief that this agreement represents a new direction for American trade policy. He recounted to them his recent trip to Lima and meetings with Peruvian President Alan Garcia, who called the FTA a “New Deal" for international trade.
Chairman Rangel also noted today that the Committee would proceed directly to the informal consideration, or mark-up, of the US-Peru FTA next week during a Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 25. The informal mark-up will take place in the main Committee room at a time to be determined.
“Trade policy should be an issue where, on every agreement, there should be an “American stamp" indicating that it represents the values we hold so dear," said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel. “We have an opportunity to do this with consideration of the US-Peru FTA. As President Garcia said, this agreement represents a “New Deal" for international trade and it helps to strengthen America’s friendship and partnership with our Latin American neighbor. For the first time we have - in the text of the agreement a commitment to implement and enforce minimum labor standards to promote fairness and decency for workers, uphold strong international commitments on the environment and expand access to life-saving medicines in developing countries."
“For the past seven years, trade policy was held hostage by partisan gridlock," continued Chairman Rangel. “Republicans prevented Democrats from having any input - not only on trade agreements, but in the formation of trade policy. This was unfortunate, but the Peru FTA presents an opportunity to move forward toward re-establishing a bipartisan consensus on trade."
