Passage of Chile and Singapore FTAs could come before August

Passage of Chile and Singapore FTAs could come before August    The Bush administration will push for the passage of free trade agreement legislation recently negotiated by the United States with Chile and Singapore before Congress takes recess in August.
   On July 10, the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees reviewed the legislation without major objection. These trade deals were negotiated under President Bush’s trade promotion authority.
   “In some ways, this unique procedure runs backwards from normal legislative procedure,” said the State Department in a statement. “Usually when a bill is introduced, congressional committees review and amend the bill before the House or Senate votes on it.”
   No amendments are allowed under TPA authority. However, congressional committees work closely with the administration to modify draft text before formal submission.
   U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick said the administration would submit the formal Chile and Singapore free trade agreements to Congress the week of July 14.
   House Ways and Means warned the Bush administration that it opposed the Chile and Singapore agreement provisions as a model for the Central American Free Trade Agreement now in negotiation.