Washington – The Senate on Thursday approved language for a Central American free trade agreement, giving President Bush a solid victory despite fears within his party about the domestic consequen ces of the pact.
The bipartisan 54-45 vote in the Senate belies a much more difficult road in the House of Representatives, which is traditionally more hostile to free- trade deals.
Earlier Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the legislation, but prospects on the House floor are uncertain. A July vote is expected.
The agreement, known as CAFTA, covers trade with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and is linked by a separate deal with the Dominican Republic.
The Bush administration has been pushing the deal for more than a year, portraying it as an economic gain for the United States and as a foothold for free-market capitalism in the developing countries of Central America.
Winning CAFTA is a top priority for Bush, who is looking for some victories in Congress to give his domestic agenda some momentum. But the Senate vote was one of the closest trade votes in years.
Voting in favor were 43 Republicans, 10 Democrats and one independent. Voting against were 12 Republicans and 33 Democrats, signaling wariness over the benefits of international commerce and globalization.
Colorado’s senators split their vote, with Republican Wayne Allard voting for the measure and Democrat Ken Salazar voting against it.
Advocates argued that the pact would open a market of 44 million people to U.S. goods. Critics said the average income in the CAFTA countries is so low that it would hardly make a dent in the U.S. trade balance.
Trade deals typically face opposition from Democrats worried about open trade with countries that don’t abide by labor and environmental standards as strong as the United States’ and from Republicans worried about lost jobs back home.
This deal was no different. Its stiffest opposition comes from lawmakers in sugar-industry states who believe sugar imports from Central America will hurt U.S. producers.
