WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander M. Levin (D-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Jim McDermott (D-WA) today responded to continued Republican efforts to hold the South Korea FTA hostage to other trade matters:
Ranking Member Levin: “The Administration has released a broad and strong trade policy agenda. It is Republicans who are holding up action on the trade agenda.
“The Administration’s implementation language for the South Korea FTA is nearly complete and it should be sent to the Congress promptly. It will become law. The continuing effort by Republicans to hold up action on the South Korea FTA or tie it to any other trade matter hurts our ability to expand trade in ways beneficial to American companies and workers.
“Republicans should also move forward on the Andean Trade Preference Act, the Generalized System of Preferences and the Trade Adjustment Assistance program - all important parts of the trade agenda. They are ready for action and it is reprehensible for Republicans to hold them - and tens of thousands of American workers as a result - hostage to other agreements."
“The Administration has set a course to resolve - as it did with the Korea FTA - major outstanding issues relating to the Colombia FTA. Republicans should join in these efforts instead of attempting to hold hostage action on other important trade agreements while work continues on the Colombia and Panama agreements."
Ranking Member McDermott: “The Administration’s Agenda recognizes the need to get trade agreements done - and done right. As Ambassador Kirk has stated, serious issues still need to be resolved before the Colombia and Panama FTAs can move forward, but the Administration is committed to working to resolve those issues as soon as possible. It would be a mistake to postpone Congressional consideration of the Korea FTA while those issues are being resolved - especially when the Korea FTA is expected to increase US exports about 10 times as much as the Colombia and Panama agreements combined. The time has come to move forward with our trade agenda - by extending Trade Adjustment Assistance and our trade preference programs for developing countries, by submitting the Korea FTA for congressional consideration, and by working to resolve the outstanding issues with Panama and Colombia."
