Thursday, May 05, 2005

New US Democrats deal blow to Cafta approval

The Bush administration has suffered a setback in its efforts to win congressional approval for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, after an influential group of pro-free trade Democratic lawmakers came out against the deal.

The House New Democrat Coalition, which has traditionally supported trade deals, said the deal provided inadequate guarantees of workers' rights in Central America and condemned the administration for cutting support for US workers displaced by trade.

Three of the four Democrats opposing Cafta also voted against granting new trade promotion authority to President George W. Bush in 2001. That bill passed the House by a single vote, with the support of just 21 Democrats, after Republican leaders pressed several recalcitrant Republicans to change their votes. Cont.

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