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Trade Pacts Extended

One of the items passed late in the 111th Congress was the extension by six weeks of the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over international trade, says this is a modest but welcome step that will preserve important benefits for U.S. workers and our allies in Colombia. 

As for the next Congress, Senator Grassley said, "I hope the 112th Congress will do a better job addressing the implementation of our three pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea."

The South Korea agreement has moved forward, but key ag issues have yet to be addressed, including U.S. beef imports. The Obama Administration is pushing to double exports, and trade agreements are an important part of that process.