Bush goes to Capitol Hill to push CAFTA

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USATODAY.com
Bush goes to Capitol Hill to push CAFTA
Wednesday July 27, 10:40 pm ET


A relatively small trade deal is provoking a major political fight on Capitol Hill. Caught in the crossfire: everything from President Bush´s continued dominance of the political agenda to the price of a T-shirt.
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Wednesday, the president traveled to Capitol Hill in a last-ditch bid to secure House approval of his proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Bush rallied Republicans by stressing trade´s role in cementing democracy and stability in the USA´s neighborhood.

"The president reminded us that we come here not only to represent our district but to represent the nation," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas.

The unusual presidential visit was part of an intense lobbying push. Vice President Dick Cheney wooed wavering Republicans as Democrats and labor organizers also mobilized.

"It will go down to the wire," said William Reinsch, president of the pro-CAFTA National Free Trade Coalition.

The Senate approved CAFTA last month. But the deal, which would weld the USA and six Central American nations into a seamless trade bloc, hit rougher sailing in the House. The House was still debating the measure late Wednesday night.

Some Republicans from sugar-producing and textile states, such as Florida and North Carolina respectively, oppose the bill, as do Democrats concerned about worker rights and eager to deal the president a setback.

CAFTA also has become a lightning rod for other worries, including the ballooning U.S. trade deficit and growing competition from China.

To attract votes from lawmakers worried about China, the Republican-led House passed a separate measure Wednesday that would allow new tariffs on Chinese goods.

Labor union officials say CAFTA will depress U.S. paychecks because it lacks adequate protections for Central American workers. Since the 1994 NAFTA trade deal with Canada and Mexico, 890,660 U.S. textile and apparel jobs have vanished, according to the National Textile Association.

Organized labor´s efforts sparked controversy Wednesday when the head of the International Association of Fire Fighters threatened to withhold campaign cash from pro-CAFTA Democrats.

"The opponents of trade are playing hardball," complained John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Labor lobbyists, meanwhile, said the administration is making whatever deals are needed to round up votes.

"Bridges, highways, committee chairmanships. The policy dealmaking is just about over, and they´ve shifted to the pork, now," says Scott Paul, trade lobbyist for the AFL-CIO.

The political fuss dwarfs the deal´s projected economic punch. U.S. exports to the six CAFTA nations - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic - total $15 billion, less than 1% of U.S. output.

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