*EPF307 04/24/2002
President Bush Demands Senate Pass Trade Negotiation Bill
(Democrats noncommittal on May 16 deadline for Andes law) (480)

By Bruce Odessey
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- President Bush has demanded again that the Democratic-led Senate pass trade promotion authority (TPA), otherwise known as fast track, for him to negotiate World Trade Organization (WTO), regional and bilateral trade agreements.

At an ethanol plant in South Dakota April 24, Bush emphasized his intent to open foreign agricultural markets for U.S. goods if he can get TPA.

"I understand that the Senate is getting to take up a trade bill, for which I'm grateful," Bush said. "I look forward to getting that bill .... It's important to get it passed and to get it moving."

In the audience for the president's remarks was Senate Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle from South Dakota, who has said TPA remains a high priority on the busy Senate schedule but has not yet announced a time to start debate.

Daschle has said he plans to bring TPA to the Senate floor in a legislative package with two other bills, one for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) and one for Andean preferential tariffs.

Democratic and Republican Senate leaders on trade issues have said they are approaching a compromise on controversial TAA provisions, including extension of health insurance for workers who lose jobs to imports. That dispute has been identified as the major obstacle to Senate passage of the trade package.

President Bush had set an April 22 deadline for the Senate to begin TPA consideration, but the Senate was then in the middle of considering an energy bill, which is scheduled for a final vote April 25.

The previous Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) expired in December, but, in expectation of congressional reauthorization, the Treasury Department has delayed reimposing higher duties on imports from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Bush has said, however, those higher duties will go into force May 16 unless Congress reauthorizes ATPA by then. (Senator Max Baucus, the Democratic chairman of the Finance Committee, has argued that no law would prevent Bush from delaying collection of duties again.)

Daschle told reporters April 23 that the Senate might not pass the trade bill package by May 16.

"My hope all along has been that we could take this legislation up fairly soon and address the three major questions," Daschle said. "And our expectation is that we'll be able to take them up prior to the 16th.

"Whether we complete them by the 16th is another matter," Daschle said.

Even Senate passage would not end congressional consideration. The House of Representatives passed its own version of TPA in December 215-214. For trade legislation to become law, the House and Senate would have to resolve differences in their bills and pass a final trade package, and the president would have to sign it.

(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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