Bush Sends Congress Colombian Trade Deal

President Bush sent Congress a controversial free-trade agreement with Colombia on Monday, stepping up the pressure on Democratic leaders to act against the will of many in their rank-and-file.

"Congress needs to move forward with the Colombia agreement," Bush said, "and they need to approve it as soon as possible."

In sending the trade deal to Congress against the wishes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the Bush administration is trying to use the rules governing these agreements as a means to propel it forward despite strong misgivings by members of the majority.

Under Trade Promotion Authority, Congress must act within a specific timeframe to vote on the deal. Those rules dictatate that lawmakers have a total of 90 legislative days to approve the measure, presumably forcing Congress to act before the next election. But many Republicans aides and outside lobbyists suggest Democrats will re-write chamber rules to suspend or alter TPA.

"The need for this agreement is too urgent, the stakes for our national security are too high, to allow this year to end without a vote," Bush told reporters on Monday.

The president and other Republicans have argued the trade deal would provide a critical boost for one of the few U.S. allies in the region. Democrats, meanwhile, argue that Colombia's history of violence against labor organizers and the poor working conditions for many of the country's workers make it a bad trading partner.
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