Colombian FTA goes to Congress
Congress has 90 days to vote on legislation.
Compiled by staff
Published: Apr 8, 2008
On Monday, President Bush signed a letter sending implementing language for the Colombian Free Trade Agreement to Congress. The pending agreement, which was signed 16 months ago, is grandfathered under Trade Promotion Authority which expired last year. That means Congress has 90 days to vote yes or no on the agreement.
"Waiting any longer to send up the legislation would run the risk of Congress adjourning without the agreement ever getting voted on," Bush says.
The agreement has been a hotly contested issue by many in Congress, citing violence, labor and human rights, and environmental safety as reason to oppose the agreement. But Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer says he thinks the votes are there to pass the agreement.
"Colombia is the largest market for U.S. agriculture exports in South America. In 2007, the United States exported a record $1.2 billion of agricultural products to Colombia," Schafer says. "However, current tariffs between the United States and Colombia are one-sided, as 99.9% of Colombian food and agricultural exports enter into the United States duty-free while no U.S. agricultural exports to Colombia receive duty-free treatment. It is time for the U.S. to be on a level playing field with Colombia."
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Tagged: labor, free trade agreement
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