Pelosi: House will block vote on Colombia FTA

By PABLO BACHELET

pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com

WASHINGTON -- Determined to block President Bush's effort to force Congress to vote on a controversial free trade agreement with Colombia, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she will propose a rules change that will eliminate a time limit for the vote.

Pelosi said she planned to present a rule change to the House floor on Thursday that would lift the requirement that lawmakers vote on the agreement up or down -- no amendments -- within 90 legislative days from Monday, when Bush dispatched the text to Congress.

''The president took his action,'' Pelosi told reporters, ``I will take mine tomorrow.''

The move amounts to a stunning rebuff to Bush, who has argued that Colombia already enjoys one-way trade concessions and is a critical ally in South America, as well as to Colombia's popular conservative President Alvaro Uribe -- who made the agreement one of the centerpieces of his foreign policy.

It also adds to the fiery debate on free trade, which has seen both Democratic presidential candidates flatly rejecting the Colombia agreement. Underscoring the rifts caused by the Colombia pact, White House hopeful Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that she had a ''long record'' of differing from her husband Bill Clinton on free trade. Former President Clinton is on record as supporting the deal and Hillary Clinton's former top campaign strategist Mark Penn recently resigned after meeting with Colombian officials to lobby for the pact.

Over the past three decades, presidents have coordinated with Congress before presenting usually contentious trade bills. With Democrats souring on trade, Colombia proved too controversial for consideration in an election year.

''This has been unfortunately the perfect storm of an unfortunate situation for Colombia,'' said Jerry Haar, with the College of Business Administration at Florida International University. ``Democrats are emboldened, this is their year, they're courting the union vote and the NGO [nongovernmental organization] vote over the human rights issue ... and this is one of the most unpopular presidents in recent history, and why hand a victory to the nemesis of the Democratic party?''

The administration quickly rolled out six cabinet secretaries for a White House press briefing to reiterate the urgency of the Colombia vote. U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab called Pelosi's move ''unfair.'' She said the agreement had been signed in November of 2006 and congressional leadership had refused to take it up, despite concessions from the administration to address Democratic concerns over labor rights and the environment.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Colombia under Uribe had come back from being a near failed state besieged by illegal armed groups and drug traffickers. ''What will it say if the United States turns its back now on Colombia?'' she asked.

The agreement would immediately allow 80 percent of U.S. exports to enter Colombia duty free, and provide U.S. companies with more protections on issues like intellectual property rights. Colombia, which already enjoys duty-free access to the U.S. market, is the United States' fourth largest trading partner in the hemisphere, with a two-way trade totaling $18 billion last year.

Both sides accused the other of breaking protocol. The White House said it repeatedly consulted congressional leaders to ensure passage of the Colombia pact but got no response, while Democrats say the administration refused to offer more generous assistance for U.S. workers impacted by free trade. Democrats also have reservations about human rights abuses in Colombia.

Designed to preserve the executive branch's ability to negotiate trade deals, the Trade Promotion Authority -- or fast track -- allows the president to negotiate a free trade agreement and then present it to Congress for an up or down vote.

That ability, Republicans warned, would be permanently damaged with Pelosi's move.

''This vote will undermine our credibility as a negotiating partner and our economic and security interests in the Western Hemisphere,'' said Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

Pelosi seemed aware of the impact her decision would have on Colombia.

''We're first and foremost here to look out for the concerns of America's working families,'' she said. ``I do take this action with deep respect for the people of Colombia.''

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio called Pelosi's proposal ''cheating'' and asked what country would negotiate a treaty with Washington ``knowing that Congress can change the rules of the game after it is negotiated?''

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., who usually supports free trade, blamed Bush for the impasse but said he hoped cooler heads would prevail.

''I'm concerned that the president's hasty action will not only throw the Colombia deal off track, but may make the larger trade debate a lot more contentious,'' he said. ``Congress and the White House are going to need to take a step back from the brink, focus on renewing an agreement on Trade Adjustment Assistance for American workers, and then consider the Colombia deal on its merits.''