Posted by Robert Gibbs on December 18, 2010 at 11:21 AM EST
This weekend, experts from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are in Seattle, Washington, hammering out the legal language for the landmark trade agreement President Obama announced earlier this month: improvements on the US-Korea trade deal that make the pact better for American workers and businesses, particularly in our recovering auto sector.
That agreement was reached after the President walked away from an earlier offer at the G20 meeting in Seoul, Korea. What our Korean counterparts put on the table wasn't good enough for you then, and the President chose to take more time to get the agreement right.
The result of that bold decision was an agreement that won wide acclaim on announcement, and we're eager to work with its supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress to advance it as quickly as possible.
Many are asking whether two other pending trade agreements - those with Colombia and Panama - should move forward with the Korea deal. A story posted on the Politico website Friday caused some confusion about our position on that question, but it is exactly the same as it has been.
While the President has not yet discussed a timeline for moving the Colombia agreement or the Panama agreement, he has said consistently that he wants his Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, to resolve outstanding issues with these agreements.
The USTR office is working to do so for the express purpose of moving each agreement forward at the right time for Congress's consideration.
This is a solid promise. The President's determination to get the Korea deal right resulted in a landmark achievement with significant support, and we'll seek the same on other trade pacts.
We intend to conclude the best deals possible for American workers and businesses - agreements that are responsible and responsive to Americans' concerns, and that can soon bring home the jobs and economic prosperity that come when trade is done right.
That's been our commitment from the start, and it's our commitment today. We look forward to working with the new Congress to fulfill it.
Learn more about Economy, Foreign Policy.
American labor is opposed to an agreement with Columbia, because the Colombian government has done little to stem violence against trade unionists. According to the AFL-CIO blog:
The pending U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would give special trade preferences to a government that has done little to respect workers' rights.
The agreement, left over from the Bush administration, is another in a series of bad trade pacts negotiated by the Bush White House, deals that have contributed to a U.S. trade deficit of $677 billion in 2008, massive job loss and shrinking paychecks.
This weekend, experts from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are in Seattle, Washington, hammering out the legal language for the landmark trade agreement President Obama announced earlier this month: improvements on the US-Korea trade deal that make the pact better for American workers and businesses, particularly in our recovering auto sector.
That agreement was reached after the President walked away from an earlier offer at the G20 meeting in Seoul, Korea. What our Korean counterparts put on the table wasn't good enough for you then, and the President chose to take more time to get the agreement right.
The result of that bold decision was an agreement that won wide acclaim on announcement, and we're eager to work with its supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress to advance it as quickly as possible.
Many are asking whether two other pending trade agreements - those with Colombia and Panama - should move forward with the Korea deal. A story posted on the Politico website Friday caused some confusion about our position on that question, but it is exactly the same as it has been.
While the President has not yet discussed a timeline for moving the Colombia agreement or the Panama agreement, he has said consistently that he wants his Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, to resolve outstanding issues with these agreements.
The USTR office is working to do so for the express purpose of moving each agreement forward at the right time for Congress's consideration.
This is a solid promise. The President's determination to get the Korea deal right resulted in a landmark achievement with significant support, and we'll seek the same on other trade pacts.
We intend to conclude the best deals possible for American workers and businesses - agreements that are responsible and responsive to Americans' concerns, and that can soon bring home the jobs and economic prosperity that come when trade is done right.
That's been our commitment from the start, and it's our commitment today. We look forward to working with the new Congress to fulfill it.
Learn more about Economy, Foreign Policy.
American labor is opposed to an agreement with Columbia, because the Colombian government has done little to stem violence against trade unionists. According to the AFL-CIO blog:
The pending U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would give special trade preferences to a government that has done little to respect workers' rights.
The agreement, left over from the Bush administration, is another in a series of bad trade pacts negotiated by the Bush White House, deals that have contributed to a U.S. trade deficit of $677 billion in 2008, massive job loss and shrinking paychecks.
Such trade deals have contributed to the loss of more than 3 million manufacturing jobs in the United States since 2001.
Workers across both countries oppose passage of the FTA until workers can fully exercise international core labor rights without fear . . .
President Obama opposed the Colombia FTA during his campaign. Panama was a US protectorate for many years, but was originally part of Columbia.
Unlike some o the other Asian manufacturers, Hyundai and KIA, have facilities in both California and Michigan. Other foreign auto manufacturers have moved their facilities into the south to take advantage of right to work laws that keep auto worker's wages lower than in other states.
Korea is one of the strongest US allies in Asia.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Motor_Company#United_States
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