U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk says he is confident lawmakers will approve free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea.
However, Kirk said Wednesday he thought it was “highly unlikely” the Obama administration would submit the deals to Congress in one legislative package because of procedural concerns.
Kirk spoke at a breakfast meeting hosted by the moderate think tank Third Way in Washington.
Administration officials said Tuesday that they decided to move forward on the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement after Panama met a series of requirements, including ratifying a tax treaty and reforming labor laws.
President Obama is expected to meet with Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli next week to discuss the accord and a new regional security initiative.
Administration officials have not put forward a specific timeline for bringing the trade accords to Congress for ratification. But officials said in a telephone news conference that the Panama and South Korea accords are at a stage where the process of formulating legislation with Congress can begin.
The U.S. is waiting for Colombia to meet goals specified in an “action plan” aimed at bringing about legal reforms to strengthen rights and protections for workers and labor organizers.
An Obama administration official said the United States will evaluate Colombia’s progress on its commitments to the plan and make a judgment.
U.S. business associations generally support the administration’s push to complete the three trade agreements. But the head of the largest U.S. trade confederation, Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO, recently renewed his criticism of the accords, including the Colombia agreement. He questioned whether they would help the U.S. economy or do enough to protect workers in the countries concerned.
Maine Democratic Representative Mike Michaud also issued a statement Tuesday calling all three agreements flawed, adding that he and others in Congress would work to defeat them.
