Why Congress is now ready to OK three long-stalled trade agreements
The House and Senate are poised Wednesday to approve three trade agreements, crafted during the Bush administration, with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. They'll be the first big trade pacts since NAFTA in 1993.
Demonstrators protest before the start of a Senate Finance Committee markup session of the Colombia, Panama, and South Korea free trade agreements on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, in Washington. Congress is poised Wednesday to approve three long-delayed trade pacts, with big bipartisan votes.
Evan Vucci/AP
Washington
In a rare flash of common purpose, Congress is poised Wednesday to approve three long-delayed trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, with big bipartisan votes.
The pact with South Korea would be the most significant US trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, signed with Canada and Mexico. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will speak to a joint session of Congress Thursday, and the event is expected to be warm and celebratory, given the expected House and Senate passage of the three trade deals.
So, why did it take more than five years to get an outcome that is now barely contested?
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