*EPF216 12/04/2001
Administration Officials Ply House Ahead of Close Trade Vote
(Quick Senate committee action on TPA promised) (580)

By Bruce Odessey
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Two days before a showdown vote in the House of Representatives, high-level Bush administration officials were working to persuade undecided and wavering members to vote for trade promotion authority (TPA), otherwise known as fast track.

No one was yet publicly predicting victory in the December 6 vote; the outcome appeared to remain too close to call.

At a press conference December 4, Representative David Dreier, Republican chairman of the House Rules Committee, said TPA supporters were picking up some Democrats' votes.

He said he expected the committee, which sets the rules for debate of bills by the full House, would allow a vote on an amendment to increase assistance for laid-off workers. Some House members seek such a provision as a condition for TPA support.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick told reporters flatly that U.S. trade partners would not negotiate in the World Trade Organization (WTO) round starting January or in the ongoing Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations unless President Bush secures TPA.

He said he has already slowed down bilateral free trade negotiations with Chile and Singapore because of uncertainty created by TPA absence.

Zoellick dismissed speculation that narrow House passage of TPA would somehow diminish U.S. negotiating leverage.

"Close votes are as good as big votes," Zoellick said. "If you win, you win."

Under TPA, Congress restricts itself only to approve or reject a negotiated trade agreement, within strict time limits and without amendments. Since the previous grant expired early in 1994, attempts to reauthorize TPA have failed over labor and environmental issues.

In a related development, Senator Max Baucus, Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, promised he would schedule committee consideration of TPA legislation the week of December 10 if the House passes its version.

In a December 4 meeting, the Finance Committee approved by voice vote a bill that would reauthorize and expand the trade adjustment assistance (TAA) program to assist workers laid off as a result of imports.

Baucus argued that Senate passage of generous TAA benefits would increase support for TPA.

Baucus persuaded Republicans to withdraw an amendment offering a version of TPA that the Senate passed in 1997 but that Democrats no longer favor. Baucus and others argued that a defeat in committee of that amendment would send a bad signal just ahead of the House TPA vote.

Republicans persuaded Baucus to accept another amendment that would prevent diversion of customs user fees to pay for TAA benefits.

The Finance Committee approved two other amendments. One approved 14-5 would require country-of-origin labeling on U.S. sales of unpackaged fish, shellfish and other perishable products -- the same sort of label already required for packaged goods.

Among the opponents was Senator Phil Gramm, a Texas Republican, who argued that such labeling would impose a burden on suppliers and that consumers already have adequate quality information to make decisions.

"Why we want to continue playing these little protectionist games, I don't know," Gramm said.

The other amendment would authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a procedure to defeat circumvention of U.S. tariffs and quotas on agricultural imports such as sugar.

For the TPA and TAA bills to become law requires final passage in the House and Senate and signature by the president. Neither chamber has voted on either bill yet.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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