The Obama administration announced on Monday it would be sending stalled free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to Congress. The agreements had been bottled up in Washington for more than two years as the Obama administration looked to ensure thatthe federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, which helps workers who lose their jobs due to free trade, would continue to be funded by Congress. Political and business leaders in Florida weighed in on Monday that the agreements could lead to thousands of new jobs in the Sunshine State.
While there had been speculation that the agreements would be released in the summer, the White House hinted on Monday that they would be released this week.
This administration ... made sure that the trade deals ... were balanced and fair and would both increase our trade opportunities, but do it in a way that protected American workers, and make sure that our obligations, broadly speaking, were upheld, said White House spokesman Jay Carney on Monday. Carney said the holdup focused on concerns the administration had regarding TAA funding. There has been an issue of working with Congress, which we have done, to make sure that the whole process here takes place in a way that ensures that all four measures -- the three free-trade agreements and the TAA -- are acted on. And were confident that that will happen.
Later in the day, President Barack Obama issued a statement in which he said that the agreements had been submitted to Congress.
The series of trade agreements I am submitting to Congress today will make it easier for American companies to sell their products in South Korea, Colombia, and Panama and provide a major boost to our exports, said Obama. These agreements will support tens of thousands of jobs across the country for workers making products stamped with three proud words: Made in America. We've worked hard to strengthen these agreements to get the best possible deal for American workers and businesses, and I call on Congress to pass them without delay, along with the bipartisan agreement on Trade Adjustment Assistance that will help workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition.
Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio cheered the news on Monday.
Approving free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea has been delayed long enough, and I hope Congress moves quickly to hold an immediate up-or-down vote on all three deals. These agreements will be a boon to our economy, create jobs for Floridians and help solidify our alliances with these steadfast partners. The agreements with Colombia and Panama in particular will boost Florida businesses, workers and farmers whose livelihoods rely on exports to these countries, said Rubio. Todays news is welcome, but it is several years overdue. Unfortunately, the long delay in bringing these deals up for a vote has allowed our competitors to seize on the administrations complacency.
Rubio was not the only Republican in the Florida congressional delegation to call for immediate passage of the trade agreements. From his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack said in a statement that the Obama administration had taken long enough to submit the free-trade agreements.
For 987 days, President Obama has delayed the submission of these key free-trade agreements, putting his labor union pals above job creation and economic growth, said Mack. In a fraction of the time it took the president to submit these agreements, the Congress will act to implement them. After two-and-a-half years of icy relations with our Latin America allies, I am hopeful the swift passage of these agreements by the Congress will also go far in strengthening Americas standing in the region.
Gov. Rick Scott, who has called for passage of the agreements throughout 2011 -- including during his weekly radio broadcasts -- issued a statement late Monday in which he praised the president for submitting the agreements.
I am extremely pleased President Barack Obama moved these critical free-trade agreements off his desk and into the hands of Congress, said Scott. These agreements are vital to our state and nation, and for far too long, U.S. companies, including many in Florida, have had to pay billions in excessive tariffs to Colombia and Panama for the ability to export American goods to those nations. A successful jobs plan is dependent on immediate ratification of these agreements, and I urge Congress to quickly pass them.
Scott was not alone in thinking that the agreements could lead to more jobs in Florida. Staff at the Florida Chamber of Commerce pointed to a Florida Chamber Foundation study which maintained the agreements represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Floridas economy and become a global hub for trade due to the states population growth and the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014. The study found that Florida would gain more than $530 million in exports of goods and services to Colombia and a large part of the almost $3 billion in national exports from the agreement with Panama.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
