House adopts rule freezing Colombia trade deal

The House adopted a rules change Thursday that freezes the Colombia free trade agreement by waiving a requirement that Congress act on it within 90 days. The rule passed mostly along party lines by a vote of 224-195 with one lawmaker voting present.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Congress and the White House must first enact policies to help the faltering U.S. economy before approving the Colombia pact. “We should certainly do more for our economy before we pass another trade agreement,” she said in remarks on the House floor.

{mosads}Pelosi said funding for infrastructure programs and energy tax credits would help create jobs. In a press conference, Pelosi said Thursday's vote would give her more leverage in negotiations with the White House.

Republican leaders blasted the maneuver.

“The Democrats want to make an unprecedented rule change to abrogate their responsibility under [Trade Promotional Authority],” said Rep. David Dreier (Calif.), senior Republican on the Rules Committee. “They're sabotaging our relationship with our best and closest ally in South America.”

Republican critics have emphasized that waiving the timetable set up by the fast-track trade law is unprecedented. But Democrats have argued that President Bush broke years of precedent by submitting the trade agreement to Congress without first receiving approval from House and Senate leaders.

Several senior Bush administration officials such as Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have also forcefully criticized Pelosi's decision to postpone the trade deal indefinitely.

But Democrats rallied around Pelosi.

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said President Bush “forgot” to consult with his panel before crafting the proposed deal with Colombia. “Let's give the House more time to facilitate an atmosphere to allow the members [to] know what's in the bill,” he said.

But White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Democrats would kill the deal by delaying its consideration.

“We believe that if the Democrats decide to hold this vote today, they are effectively killing the Colombia free trade agreement,” she said.

Ten Democrats, including several Southerners, defied Pelosi and voted against the rule. Four of those Democrats also voted in favor of a controversial trade deal with Central American countries in 2005.

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), whose district is home to Caterpillar Inc.'s finance office, was among the Democrats who opposed the rule. Caterpillar exports equipment to Colombia. Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.) voted present.

Six Republicans, including Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.), voted for it. North Carolina's textile industry has lost many jobs because of foreign competition.

One GOP strategist warned that Thursday’s vote could imperil future trade agreements.

“The Colombia vote is like a bomb blast that may send shockwaves seriously affecting Korea Free Trade Agreement,” said Ron Bonjean, who served as an aide to former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and former Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans. “We lose our leverage over the Korean beef issue because we can’t back up our agreements in Congress.

“It also threatens the possibility that America is outpaced by other international trade agreements,” added Bonjean, who believes foreign companies may gain an advantage selling their products in Colombia.