Isakson says he's unjammed trade votes

Tuesday, September 06, 2011
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By WALTER C. JONES Morris News Service ATLANTA -- Sen. Johnny Isakson says he's untangled objections that had blocked passage of a trio of trade agreements that could boost Georgia exports by more than $1.5 billion. In an interview with Morris News Service in his Marietta office Friday, Isakson said he's convinced enough of his fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate to agree to conditions President Barack Obama set before submitting the agreements to Congress for ratification. He predicted Senate votes sometime in October.

The free-trade agreements, which would lower tariffs and other trade barriers, have been negotiated and signed with South Korea, Colombia and Panama and await submission to Congress. The Korean agreement, for example, was signed in 2007 before Obama was elected. The U.S. Trade Representative calls the Korean pact, "the United States' most commercially significant free-trade agreement in more than 16 years." For Georgia, it's impact would be an economic boost at a time when one could come in handy, Isakson said. He estimated $1.5 billion in exports of pecans, beef and other agricultural products as well as services like Aflac's insurance sales to Japan that were made possible by a similar agreement. "That means real jobs and real income to Georgians," the senator said. "It's just a shame that the politics of free trade has kept us from acting on those agreements." Obama has held up sending the agreements to Congress because he wants to package them with a bill to provide added assistance to workers whose jobs are shipped overseas. Isakson said he's spent the time getting conservatives to go along. "I have agreed to support that coming to the floor provided the president will agree to let the free-trade agreements come to the floor," he said. "There are enough Republicans who'll do the same where I think, come October, everyone is going to be surprised at how much there is to debate when it comes to trade because I believe we're this close to breaking them loose." The White House did not immediately respond with a comment Monday, but in June Press Secretary Jay Carney said the Trade Adjustment Assistance was central to the legislative deal. "The president embraces these critical elements of TAA needed to ensure that workers have the best opportunity to get good jobs that keep them in the middle class," Carney said. Isakson said the Republicans have agreed to vote on the TAA first, before taking up the three trade agreements separately. "That's huge for the economy; that's huge for jobs," he said.

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Isakson says he's unjammed trade votes

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