Stop Sabotaging America’s Allies and Exporters

In the Wall Street Journal, economist and former Carter Administration official Fred Bergsten chides Congressional leaders for blocking votes on trade agreements with friendly countries like Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  He explains that other countries won’t negotiate dropping their trade barriers against our exporters if they don’t think that the resulting deal will be voted on promptly by Congress.  Thus, Congressional leaders’ obstructionism will lead in the long run to worldwide discrimination in the future against American exporters by foreign trade blocs, destroying American jobs.  While House leaders are busy sabotaging American allies like Colombia, snubbing its democratically-elected president, they were passing a special tax break for an oil company controlled by Venezuela’s anti-American dictator.   They also have snubbed business leaders, who have called on Congress to pass the free trade agreement with Colombia.