Hoyer: White House Could Send Panama Trade Deal To Congress Soon
(RTTNews) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Wednesday that a long-stalled free trade agreement with Panama could be coming back to Congress soon.
Hoyer, who recently traveled to Panama as part of a Congressional delegation, said that the country is working to address the issues that stalled the agreement in Congress after Democrats won control in 2006.
"They are taking steps to both confirm protections of workers to bargain collectively, to organize [and] also to address concerns that have been expressed, not only by the United States … to ensure the laundering of money, the secreting of money is diminished," Hoyer said.
He added that U.S. Trade Representative Bernard Kirk has indicated that the White House may send the deal back to Congress for approval relatively soon.
"Mr. Kirk referenced it, [but] I don't think that the President has made a statement on that," he said, indicating that the exact timing of any moves on the deal is still a matter of question.
If Congress approved the deal, it would be the first movement on three Bush administration free trade deals that stalled during his final years in office. The other two deals are with South Korea and Columbia.
"Panama, I think, is relatively, relatively non-controversial to the extent that any trade agreement is non-controversial," Hoyer said. "I think there are a couple of things … that need to be done. And I think that Panama is moving to do that."
He added, "But I don't know when the administration is going to submit those."
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Original Source: RTTNews.com
Date Retrieved: April 23, 2009.
