Kirk: ‘Highly unlikely’ that three trade deals will be lumped together

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Wednesday it is “highly unlikely” the Obama administration would send three pending trade deals in one legislative package to Congress.

Speaking at a breakfast hosted by the centrist think tank Third Way, Kirk said legal precedent would block such a move when Congress votes on the trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. Some Republicans have pressured the White House to package all three agreements together in one lump vote.

“It is highly unlikely to zero that they will be in one bill just for the reason that the way trade promotion authority gets granted, it’s done bill by bill,” Kirk told reporters. “We know of no legislative template for a quote-unquote omnibus trade bill.” 

President Obama will meet next week with Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli to discuss the way forward on the Panama trade agreement. That follows progress made by the administration on the Colombia and Korea trade deals, likely setting up votes this summer on Capitol Hill for all three.

Kirk said he is confident the trade deals will pass, but he said packaging them together under one vote could lead to procedural challenges in Congress.

“Though I’m very confident that they will pass, we would run the risk of all three being knocked down by a point of order,” Kirk said. “What we are talking to Congress about is more staging and timing.”

While business groups have applauded the administration for moving aggressively on trade this year, the White House has upset its traditional allies in labor. Many unions oppose the trade deals, especially the Colombia agreement because of the country’s poor record of violence against trade unionists. 

Despite labor opposition, Kirk said the administration would move forward on the Colombia agreement. Kirk said he’s proud of the “action plan” he helped craft with the Colombian government to improve the country’s labor protections.

“We spent a lot of time engaging with our friends in labor,” Kirk said, noting the United Auto Workers and the United Food and Commercial Workers’ support of the Korea trade deal.

But the former Dallas mayor said the administration understands why unions oppose the Colombia trade deal.

“Labor gives credit for what we have done. So much of what they object to in Colombia is deeply personal and emotional, and we understand we might not get them there. We had a responsibility to work with the Santos administration to strengthen the labor reforms, and we think we have a very solid package,” Kirk said.