Paola Conconi, Giovanni Facchini, and Maurizio Zanardi look at the determinants of Congressional votes for and against fast track and trade promotion authority: Fast track authority: trade policy or politics? (May 21, 2008,VOX, this is a summary of a working paper to which they link):
Continue reading "Why do Congresspersons vote for or against fast track?" »
Congress is supposed to take action on a trade agreement negotiated under the trade promotion authority within 90 days of the date the president submits it. However the 90 day requirement just lies in the legislature's rules, and a legislature can change the rules it sets for itself.
Nancy Pelosi announced today that she is going to try and do that with respect to the Columbia trade agreement: Pelosi Statement on House Removing Timetable from Consideration of Colombia Free Trade Agreement (press release, April 9). Normally the president doesn't submit until he gets a "go-ahead" from Congressional leaders; in this case that hadn't come, and he got tired of waiting. Pelosi's statement reads:
It's customary for the Administration to get the approval of the Congressional leadership before submitting an agreement negotiated under trade promotion authority (fast track) for ratification. Bush Administration leaders are debating whether or not to submit the pending trade agreements with Columbia, Panama, and Korea without that approval if necessary (Will the Bush Administration "Force" Congressional Action?, The Custom-House, January 12, 2008)
The Columbia deal is widely expected to come up first, and will be controversial because of human rights issues. Doug Palmer reports on concerns that, if the Administration pushes ahead on Columbia, without getting the signal from the Congressional leadership, the fast track concept may end up wrecked for all time, as a trade policy tool: Colombia trade fight could cripple US fast track (Doug Palmer, Reuters, via the Guardian, January 18, 2008).
Continue reading "Will the Columbia FTA debate destroy the idea of "fast track"?" »
