How the 110th Congress Voted on Trade
Votes on Trade Barriers
•Ban Mexican Trucks on U.S. Roads The expansion of trade between the United States and Mexico has been hampered by regulations that restrict cross-border trucking. Under provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement, qualified trucking providers from Mexico would be allowed to deliver goods within the United States after the year 2000, and U.S. trucking companies would be allowed to deliver goods within Mexico. Although the agreement and subsequent regulations specifically address safety concerns, Congress has so far refused to implement the agreement, under pressure from organized labor in the United States. For an analysis of the Mexican trucking issue, see http://www.freetrade.org/node/107 and http://www.freetrade.org/node/818.
On May 15, 2007, the House voted 411-3 (Roll Call Vote 349) to approve the Safe American Roads Act of 2007 that effectively prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from granting a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico authority to operate beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border.
On September 11, 2007, the Senate voted 75-23 (Roll Call Vote 331) to approve an amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan that would deny funding for a pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks to begin serving U.S. destinations.
•Temporary visas for low-skilled workers The American economy continues to create hundreds of thousands of net new jobs each year for low-skilled workers, while the supply of native-born Americans who have traditionally filled those jobs, typically those without a high school education, continues to shrink. Yet are immigration system offer no legal channel for a sufficient number of foreign-born workers to enter the country to fill those jobs, resulting in a significant inflow of illegal immigrants. In May and June of 2007, the Senate considered legislation to expand opportunities for low-skilled foreign-born workers to join the U.S. workforce legally. For analysis of immigration reform, see http://www.freetrade.org/issues/immigration.html.
On May 22, 2007, the Senate voted 31-64 (Roll Call Vote 174) against an amendment by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) that would have eliminated the Y-1 temporary worker visa from a comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 1348).
On May 23, 2007, the Senate voted 74-24 (Roll Call Vote 175) to approve an amendment by Sen. Jeff Bingaman to cap the annual number of Y-1 visas in S. 1348 at 200,000, significantly below the number in the original bill.
•Funding for Visa Waiver Program The U.S. government currently allows travelers from 27 countries to enter the United States without a visa. Participants in the program include Japan, Australia and the nations of Western Europe. The program allows visitors to stay in the United States for up to 90 days for tourism and business travel. According to federal studies, the program stimulates increased tourist spending and other economic activity without compromising homeland security. For more on the program, see http://www.freetrade.org/node/577.
On June 15, 2007, the House voted 76-347 (Roll Call Vote 484) against an amendment by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) to eliminate funding for the visa waiver program.
•Andean Trade Preference Act 2007 Congress enacted the Andean Trade Preference Act in 1991 in an effort to promote market-led growth in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as an alternative to the illegal drug trade. The act allows duty-free access to the U.S. market for 5,600 products, including a range of agricultural commodities and textile and apparel products of particular export interest in those countries. Such unilateral preferences allow farmers and other producers in the Andean countries to receive higher prices for their exports, stimulating production and income growth in those countries. The ATPA was expanded under the Trade Act of 2002, and was due to expire on June 30, 2007.
On June 27, 2007, the House voted 365-59 (Roll Call Vote 583) to approve an extension the ATPA through February 29, 2008. On June 28, 2007, the Senate approved the bill without amendment by unanimous consent.
•Expand Farm Exports to Cuba For almost half a century the U.S. government has maintained an almost total embargo against trade with, travel to, and investment in Cuba. The embargo was implemented shortly after Fidel Castro took power in 1959, but the embargo has failed to change the policies or nature of the island country's communist government. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, any national security argument for the embargo came to an end. While the embargo remains in place, Congress did vote in 2000 to allow limited sales of food and medical supplies to Cuba. For analysis of U.S. policy toward Cuba, see http://www.freetrade.org/issues/cuba.html.
On July 27, 2007, the House voted 182-245 (Roll Call Vote 749) to reject an amendment sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) that would have relaxed rules on cash sales of U.S. farm products to Cuba. The amendment would also have allowed direct transfers between Cuban banks and U.S. banks and visas to be issued to conduct activities related to purchasing U.S. agricultural goods.
•U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement Like previously enacted bilateral and regional agreements, the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement will eventually eliminate almost all tariff barriers between the two countries. Specifically, the agreement will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than two-thirds of U.S. exports to Peru, and phase out remaining barriers within 15 years, while expanding access to services markets. Imports from Peru already face minimal tariffs in the United States because of existing trade preference programs, but the U.S.-Peru FTA would lock in market access and guarantee reciprocal access for U.S. exporters. The agreement would also deepen U.S. ties to a relatively friendly Latin American country. For more information on the benefits of bilateral and regional FTAs, see http://www.freetrade.org/node/66 and http://www.freetrade.org/node/64.
On November 8, 2007, the House voted 285-132 (Roll Call Vote 1060) to approve legislation implementing the U.S.-Peru FTA as negotiated. On December 4, 2007, the Senate voted 77-18 (Roll Call Vote 413) to approve the U.S.-Peru implementing legislation.
Votes on Trade Subsidies
•The 2007 Farm Bill, For more than 80 years, the U.S. government has intervened in agricultural production through subsidies and trade barriers aimed at propping up prices and production of certain favored crops. Such policies cost Americans an estimated $40 billion a year as consumers and taxpayers. They also drive up costs for domestic food-processing companies, and drive down global prices, hurting poor farmers abroad and complicating efforts to open export markets abroad through trade negotiations. Before the House approved a proposed 2007 farm bill in July 2007, it considered several amendments to scale back interventionist farm programs that distort production and trade. The Senate approved the final bill in December 2007. For analysis of the trade impact of U.S. agricultural policy, see http://www.freetrade.org/issues/agriculture.
On July 27, 2007, the House voted 117-309 (Roll Call Vote 747) against an amendment by Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) that would have reduced agricultural subsidies by tightening income eligibility and payment limits.
On July 27, 2007, the House voted 153-271 (Roll Call Vote 750) against an amendment by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) that would have effectively lowered "loan deficiency payments" to subsidized farmers.
On July 27, 2007, the House voted 144-282 (Roll Call Vote 751) against an amendment offered by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) that would have reduced government protection and subsidies for the domestic sugar industry.
On July 27, 2007, the House voted 175-251 (Roll Call Vote 752) against an amendment by Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) to reduce the direct payment rate for cotton by two-thirds of a cent.
On December 14, 2007, the Senate voted 79-14 (Roll Call Vote 434) to approve final passage of the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007. (The House version of the farm bill contained tax provisions that were unrelated to farm and trade policy, making the bill unsuitable for inclusion in this list.)