Fast-track supporters vow to keep pushing for a vote

Nation's Business, Jan, 1998 by James Worsham

Key proponents of legislation that would grant President Clinton fast-track trade-negotiating authority have vowed to continue fighting in 1998 for congressional passage of the measure.

Especially for our small-business members, we're going to continue pushing for a vote," says Willard A. Workman, vice president/international of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Workman says the Chamber and other backers of fast-track authority have been told by Republican congressional leaders that "if there's a way to get a successful vote, we will find it."

The legislation, which would enable the administration to negotiate trade agreements that would be subject only to approval or rejection by Congress with no amendments, was pulled from House consideration Nov. 10 at the request of President Clinton. The request was made when it became clear that there were not enough votes to pass the measure.

Although most Republicans supported the legislation, passage was not ensured because too few Democrats -- who were under heavy pressure from labor unions to oppose the measure -- could be persuaded to vote for the bill.

Lack of fast-track authority does not preclude the administration from negotiating trade pacts, but other nations have tended to shy away from negotiations without such authority because any deals struck would be subject to change by Congress.

Clinton had sought the authority -- which every president from 1974 to 1994 had -- primarily for the purpose of negotiating trade pacts with fast-growing Latin American nations. Those countries are now signing trade agreements with European and Asian nations while the United States sits on the sidelines.

The Chamber's Workman says that small businesses would be hurt the most by the failure of Congress to provide the president with fast-track authority. Big companies can deal directly with other nations on trade terms and can make concessions to them such as building plants to create jobs; individual small businesses lack the marketplace clout to do that.