Korea-U.S. FTA

What's the American administration thinking?

Claude Barfield of the American Enterprise Institute notes (The G-20 Summit: A Breakthrough for the U.S.–Korea FTA?) that (a) this is the administration's first "date certain" trade commitment, (b) the timing...

Clinton on KORUS FTA

Clinton discussed trade issues in an interview published in the Financial Times this morning: Full transcript: Hillary Clinton interview (hat tip International Economic Law and Policy Blog).

Her concerns come down to autos, and to Korean follow-through:

House Democratic Trade Terms

Congress and the President have been trying to agree on what to include in U.S. trade agreements.  Time is running out, as the deadline for formally notifying Congress of pending agreements, so that they're eligible for the expedited procedures of current trade promotion authority, expires Saturday night.

Yesterday, House Ways and Means Chair Charles Rangel, and Trade Subcommittee Chair Sander Levin, laid out what they need to see to approve pending trade agreements, and renewal of trade promotion authority: Rangel and Levin Unveil New Trade Policy for America (House Ways and Means Committee website, March 27).

Victoria McGrane reports: Trade Law Set to Expire; Agenda at Crossroads (Congressional Quarterly, March27).   And here's a report from Eoin Callan: House Democrats offer Bush a deal on trade (Financial Times, March 28).  Daniel Drezner is optimistic: An odd, optimistic moment on trade policy (March 28)

Why does the Saturday deadline matter?  McGrane:

Trade implications of the mid-terms

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal carried a story on the roll of trade in the campaigns, written by Greg Hitt: Protectionist Stance Is Gaining Clout (Nov 6 - apparently free content).  Hitt hung his story on a House campaign in Iowa between  Democrat Bruce Braley...