Congress Completes Mock Markup on CAFTA-DR Draft (6-20-05)
The Senate Finance Committee
and the House Ways and Means Committee approved the draft of the Central
American Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) last week
in mock markups.
The Senate Finance Committee
passed the agreement in an 11-8 vote while forwarding one legislative
recommendation to the Bush administration that would extend trade
adjustment assistance (TAA) benefits to service workers. The House
committee passed the agreement by a 25-16 vote.
An amendment by the House
chairman was adopted that included a requirement that the administration
report on activities by the CAFTA-DR countries and that the United
States build capacity on labor issues. The amendment also included
a provision noting CAFTA-DR will have a positive impact on the U.S.
services industry. This would require the administration examine
after one year the effect the agreement has had on the services industry
and requires the administration to make recommendations as to how
the TAA program should be amended if CAFTA-DR has negative effects
on the services industry.
“NCGA, along with
numerous other agricultural representatives, have been working hard
to gain acceptance of this agreement by Congress,” National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Leon Corzine said. “We
are very hopeful that CAFTA-DR will be approved by Congress before
the July 4 recess. This agreement is truly beneficial to all of the
agriculture community. It puts the United States and our agriculture
products as the preferred supplier to these democratic nations which
are our neighbors and partners within our own hemisphere.”
Corzine also noted the
agreement will balance the very high duties on commodity products
while also opening new markets for our industry to continue to be
competitive on the world scale.
The administration is soon
expected to send back to Congress its changes, if any, to the implementing
language. Congress will then be able to officially vote on the agreement.
NCGA anticipates seeing
movement on the agreement in the next two and half weeks. The White
House is expected to send final implementing legislation for the agreement
to Congress early next week. According to news sources, Bush
administration officials were discussing with GOP leaders last Thursday
whether to press for a vote before the Independence Day recess or
shoot for floor action in both chambers during July.
There is still a lot of
work to get CAFTA-DR passed, without nullifying provisions or exclusions.
With momentum growing steadily, NCGA reminds its members to contact
their congressional leaders by calling or sending letters of support
for CAFTA-DR.
NCGA anticipates seeing
movement on the agreement in the next two and half weeks.