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This article reports that the last week of July 2005 is bottleneck week for U.S. lawmakers, as the number of issues vying for attention exceeds the amount of time left before lawmakers leave town for the five-week August recess. Much of the attention will focus on the Central America Free Trade Agreement, which House GOP leaders hope to bring to a vote as early as possible. A number of other issues are competing for time on the floor or in committee, or for the attention of leaders. These include efforts to reach compromises on comprehensive energy legislation and federal transportation reauthorization language, stem-cell legislation, bills dealing with identity theft and, possibly, a vote on a permanent repeal of the estate tax.

This article informs that lawmakers face a busy week leading up to the Independence Day recess, with the U.S. Senate set to wrap up comprehensive energy legislation, conferees from both chambers closing in on a compromise on a six-year highway bill and the House in the unusual position of being able to wrap up action on spending bills before July 4, 2005. Republican leaders also might bring the Central America Free Trade Agreement to the floor in at least one chamber. But two decisions that will go a long way toward determining how much work awaits Congress later in the year might be made this week across the street from the Capitol, at the Supreme Court.

U.S. President George W. Bush's most prominent domestic policy achievements have either failed to stir widespread enthusiasm or are poorly understood, recent independent polling suggests, calling into question the success Bush will have using his own record as president to get himself re-elected. The president may have some trouble shoring up his position by brandishing his foreign policy record. Bush has invested significant political capital in pushing free trade initiatives that also will be of dubious value on the campaign trail.

As Iraq reconstruction gets under way and U.S. President George W. Bush administration seeks to add allies and spread democracy in the Middle East, virtually everyone on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue agrees that closer economic ties are an essential piece of that strategy. But the White House and key senators are at odds over the best way to reach that goal. Senate Finance ranking member Max Baucus and Senate Commerce Chairman McCain are planning for a role in shaping a U.S. economic policy toward the Middle East that includes extending special trade preferences to Middle Eastern nations that the United States currently has only granted to sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, and the Andean region. The centerpiece of the administration's economic program for the Middle East is to create a free trade area in the region by 2013 through negotiating a series of bilateral agreements beginning with Morocco and Bahrain, for which negotiations have already been announced.

Free trade agreements now being negotiated with Central America and Australia could face tough opposition when they are raised in the U.S. Congress. The deals are likely to complete in 2003. The Central American countries combine to form the United States' 18th largest trading partner in goods, while Australia ranks 19th, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. However, the U.S. Trade Representative Office notes that Australia and Central America rank higher as candidates for free trade deals.

This article reports that U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman is making good on his pledge to give Democrats, a seat at the negotiating table when it comes to the details of trade agreements. The White House Wednesday sent the U.S.-Bahrain free trade pact to the Congress for approval, the first trade deal to come before the Congress since July's apocalyptic battle over the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Compared to Democratic demands on CAFTA, the concessions made to pass Bahrain were modest. Democrats wanted to extract promises from Bahrain to enhance worker protections, and to ensure that Bahrain follows through on those promises. They got Portman to secure a side letter linking commitments to labor consultation provisions already in the agreement. But it took a few days of tense negotiations to bring House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas on board with the deal. Thomas was wary of opening the door to the Congress adding obligations into trade agreements after the deals have been signed, according to sources.

This article presents information on issues related to international trade. Opponents of U.S. President George W. Bush's trade agenda held a news conference in which they criticized efforts of the U.S. to forge a free-trade agreement with the Andean countries, saying the deal would be harmful to workers. Representative Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said that the Bush administration is showing a growing contempt for workers in this country with the Andean Free Trade Agreement. House Representative Xavier Becerra, called for the inclusion of "internationally accepted core labor standards." In another trade development, supporters of legislation to penalize China because of its currency practices said that they were delaying a Senate vote on the issue in hopes Bush could resolve the dispute while in Beijing, China. Senators Lindsey Graham, and Charles Schumer, said they had an agreement with leaders of the Senate to postpone the vote until at least December.

The article informs that following narrow passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the U.S. House of Representative Democratic leaders and members of the influential Steering and Policy Committee huddled behind closed doors for over two hours on Thursday night to assess the internal impact of the vote on their Caucus. Many Minority leaders were frustrated by what they saw as a handful of questionable Democratic votes for the treaty. Fifteen Democrats voted for CAFTA, some out of political necessity.

This article focuses on the concern whether the Central America Free Trade Agreement will turn out to be a viable campaign issue for the elections in the U.S. The Agreement, though, might be a catchier issue to sell to disgruntled voters, particularly in areas that have suffered serious job losses in the last decade. It certainly doesn't help free traders that the acronyms rhyme. It might help those writing the attack ads, though. Regardless of the outcome of the CAFTA vote, which was beginning at presstime, labor officials have warned Democrats and Republicans with large union constituencies that a pro-CAFTA vote will put them in the crosshairs in 2006. The issue is a test of unions' strength and their capability to influence voters. It also will be a test for Democrats and whether they can make labor a viable campaign issue.

This article reports that the U.S. House approved the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) on a 217-215 vote early this morning, narrowly handing the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, a hard-fought victory. House Republican leaders faced a late hold-out from a group of eight Republicans that forced them to hold the vote open for about 45 minutes. Republicans also captured the support of 15 Democrats for the measure; they started the day with the declared support of only six Democrats. Prior to the CAFTA vote Wednesday, the House approved, 255-168, a package of measures aimed at prodding China to abide by trade rules.

The article reports that for months, some of the prime bets in Washington D.C. have centered on what hour after midnight the U.S. House will begin voting on the hotly contested Central America Free Trade Agreement, and what will be the margin of victory. Everybody knew this vote would play badly in Carolina, where the mills were shutting down faster than they could build new housing developments in the booming Research Triangle. Local party leaders had recruited a wealthy ex-state legislator to run against Representative Robin Hayes. Some wise guys even gave them an incredible cover story: If this bill didn't pass, the Democrats would soon enact their more expensive bill.

This article reports that three U.S. House Republicans from textile and apparel districts announced their support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in last week of July 2005, and said several others are likely to follow suit as a result of additional protections that Trade Representative Portman negotiated on behalf of the sector. Republican Spencer Bachus said, his best guess is a minimum of four other members will announce their support for CAFTA within the next two to three days. Republicans Bob Inglis and Mike Rogers said they will now vote for CAFTA after working to secure side agreements addressing three areas of textile and apparel trade.

This article reports that leading farm groups in the U.S. have been among the most loyal and adamant supporters of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will culminate in a House vote in last week of July 2005. On paper, the benefits for U.S. farmers look compelling. Tariffs imposed on imported pork by the six CAFTA countries are nearly 22 percent, on average, according to estimates from the American Farm Bureau Federation. Average tariffs are 20 percent on poultry, and nearly 12 percent on corn. Those tariffs will be phased out over a 20-year period, so benefits from CAFTA will accrue slowly. But the Farm Bureau estimates that when the trade pact is fully phased in, U.S. annual farm exports could increase by $1.5 billion.

This article reports that U.S. President George W. Bush's Supreme Court nomination grabbed the headlines in July 2005, but longstanding issues like the Central America Free Trade Agreement will dominate the attention of business and labor groups in the days before the August recess. Compared to the instant reaction from some ideological groups, leading business groups are taking their time before engaging on John Roberts' nomination to the high court. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers are working through internal review processes to decide whether to formally endorse Roberts.

The article reports that the ghost of a past trade deal is haunting the U.S. Republican attempts to line up support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). House Republican leaders and the administration of President George W. Bush have tamped down some potential opposition from specific blocs opposing the CAFTA--including sugar and textile interests--by agreeing to side deals that limit the CAFTA's impact on those industries. But they now face the more nebulous and potentially larger task of convincing House Republicans from the heartland to cast a vote in favor of the CAFTA despite the fact that many of their constituents at home view the North American Free Trade Agreement in a negative light.

The article reports that a leading Democrat in the U.S. who supports the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) said on Tuesday he expects close to 20 Democrats to vote in favor of the trade pact. William Jefferson said the strength of Democratic support for the CAFTA might be comparable to the number of Democrats who supported trade negotiating authority legislation in 2001. Jefferson said he was disappointed that most Democrats are opposing the CAFTA, despite what he claimed were the strictest labor provisions of any trade pact to date. He noted that Democrats had worked to include enforceable labor standards in trade agreements from the North American Free Trade Agreement through the Jordan agreement until now.

The article reports that Senate Agriculture Chairman Saxby Chambliss and Senator Norm Coleman, Republican from Minnesota announced they would support the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) even though sugar growers oppose it. Chambliss and Coleman, both of whom had objected to the provision in CAFTA to allow more sugar imports, said they were satisfied that the sugar package they had negotiated with the U.S. government would allow the sugar program in the 2002 farm bill to continue to function.

The article focuses on a bill in the U.S. Congress related to free trade agreement with China. House Republican leaders are seeking advice from the business community on legislation that would defuse rising tensions over trade with China, as they seek to corral enough votes to pass Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) legislation. Republican leadership aides met in a separate session with lobbyists--following what has become a regular weekly whip meeting with the business community on CAFTA--to discuss how to respond to rank-and-file anxiety over trade with China.

This article focuses on how the U.S. House Republican leaders are maneuvering to bring the Central America Free Trade Agreement to the floor. This is a move that could expedite the trade agreement, which was not expected on the floor until July 2005. But other aides cautioned that at this point, striking a deal with members with sugar interests is probably a necessary prerequisite to a successful House vote next week. Once a bill is reported out of committee, House rules require a holding period of three legislative days before a floor vote.

This article presents information related to the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). After months of delay, the George W. Bush administration and the congressional Republican leadership finally seem ready to roll the dice and vote on the Central America Free Trade Agreement. Cynical veterans of Capitol Hill trade wars, both those who favor CAFTA and those who oppose it, now privately expect the deal to narrowly pass the House, not because of compelling economic benefits generated by the agreement; but because the vote has become a test of political manhood for a beleaguered White House.

The article reports that the U.S. Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley filed five amendments to the draft Central America Free Trade Agreement implementation bill. Each of these amendments is offering steps that are anathema to domestic sugar producers. One would allow countries that export sugar to the U.S. to trade unused quota share with one another. That would ensure that foreign producers may ship the 50,000-60,000 tons of quota access that otherwise goes unused each year. Yet another amendment would express the sense of the Senate that the administration should not exclude sugar from future trade deals.

The article reports that the U.S. President George W. Bush and his advisers are aggressively courting Democrats to seek their backing for the Central America Free Trade Agreement. With Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee holding the key to moving the trade pact forward in the Senate next month, Bush has invited several including Finance ranking member Max Baucus of Montana and Senators Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Ron Wyden of Oregon to the White House to discuss CAFTA, according to Senate sources. Other Senate Democrats and Republicans have also been invited to attend, including Finance Chairman Grassley and undecided Senators.

This article reports that Republican legislators are pushing for a U.S. House vote in the near future on legislation to address alleged unfair trade practices by China, a move full of implications for the U.S.-China bilateral relationship and unrelated trade agenda items, including the Central America Free Trade Agreement. House Republican sources said a working group of about 10 Republicans has formed to engage leadership on trade concerns, including China's peg of its currency--the Yuan--to the dollar, its intellectual property enforcement problems and the spike in recent months of apparel imported from China.

This article reports that the U.S. President George W. Bush pledges a concerted effort to move the American Free Trade Agreement through the United States.-- Congress. The U.S. President George W. Bush met at the White House with business supporters of the Central America Free Trade Agreement and pledged a concerted effort to move the agreement through the United States.-- Congress this summer, according to sources who attended the meeting. Trade Representative led the meeting, at which the Commerce Secretary, the National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove were present . A House GOP leadership aide said that to appease a number of these members, it is likely the House will have to vote on some form of legislation addressing U.S.-China trade before it votes on CAFTA.

The article focuses on efforts of U.S. politician Rob Portman to support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Portman visited four House Democrats to try to secure their support for CAFTA. He raised another issue of changing the rules of origin for Central American apparel to require U.S.-made pockets and linings for a garment to receive duty-free treatment. He said that he would like to build the New Democratic coalition around free trade. According to him, corralling at least two-dozen Democrats for CAFTA is not impossible.

The article informs that while the timing remains uncertain for congressional votes on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), new lobbying disclosure reports and interviews suggest ever-growing intensity over the pending trade deal. Sara Lee Branded Apparel, which owns Playtex and Champion, is among the latest to join the push for CAFTA, by hiring Clark Consulting. Florida Crystals, a sugar producer and distributor, last month hired Mehlman Capitol Strategies to represent its interests. Domestic sugar growers have been among the most vociferous opponents of CAFTA. Central American interests have also hired lobbying representation. Lobbying reports show a group of poultry producers in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua last month retained Miller & Chevalier Chartered to represent their interests.

The article reports that presidents of five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic made their case for the Central America Free Trade Agreement to lawmakers during a full day of meetings on Capitol Hill. The visit to Capitol Hill by the six heads of state is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart the trade pact, which has bogged down amid overwhelming Democratic opposition and substantial resistance among Republicans because of concerns about its impact on the sugar industry and other trade issues.

The article reports that the U.S. technology industry lobbyists are smarting after the refusal of a key block of moderate House Democrats to support the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). New Democrats and strong tech supporters such as California Democratic Representatives Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren have not yet denounced CAFTA. And Eshoo might be reconsidering her membership in the New Democrats altogether. A closer look at Commerce Department figures shows about $850 million of the total is semiconductor-related shipments to Costa Rica, where Intel runs a manufacturing plant.

This article reports that U.S. President George W. Bush told Hispanic business leaders last week to press the Congress for passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement, drawing applause from the group. But support for the trade pact among members of the Congress who are Hispanic or who represent large Hispanic constituencies has been slow to materialize. Representative Xavier Becerra, who has been leading opposition to the pact, said in an interview Tuesday that the reluctance of Hispanic Caucus members like Representative Solomon Ortiz to endorse the deal is evidence that CAFTA faces difficult political hurdles.

The article reports that the hope for a May vote on the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is waning, as supporters are stressing the need for more time to lay the groundwork for a successful vote in the Senate Finance Committee. Senate aides said Finance Chairman Charles Grassley was taken aback by the depth of skepticism CAFTA encountered at last week's hearing on the trade pact, which would lower tariffs and liberalize trade rules with the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Costa Rica. House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas appeared to prod the Senate to schedule the markup despite uncertainty about whether the votes are there. Thomas said CAFTA would be in trouble if the sugar members were uniting with a solid core of textile and apparel members in opposition, but he said Bush administration safeguard actions on the China front had helped to secure some support on the textile and apparel side.

The article reports that U.S. Senator William Jefferson on Monday announced his support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), as supporters of the trade pact predicted House Democrats would help carry it to victory once Grand Old Party leaders set a firm timeframe for a vote. Jefferson said his support was based chiefly on expected export gains for Louisiana in products such as processed foods, and on increased business for the Port of New Orleans. He becomes only the third Democrat to publicly back CAFTA.

This article reports that Southern Republicans might again hold an important key to whether U.S. President George W. Bush administration succeeds in enacting its major trade priority for the 109th Congress, the Central America Free Trade Agreement. The administration announced that it would bring trade cases against China to determine whether textile quotas should be reinstated. At the center of the administration's lobbying strategy is the National Council of Textile Organizations, whose members will soon consider whether to break ranks with other industry groups and endorse the deal.

The article reports that the US House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas said Wednesday he wants to move quickly next year on trade agreements with Bahrain and Central American countries, and raised the prospect of mounting an effort to repeal the so-called Byrd amendment, which has been ruled in violation of global trade rules. Thomas said he would likely begin efforts to pass the U.S.-Bahrain free trade agreement in February. Thomas briefed reporters after a Middle East trip in which he and four other panel members visited Tunisia, Jordan, Oman and Egypt.

This article reports that passing the Central America Free Trade Agreement during the November, 2004 lame-duck session will be nearly impossible because the session will be too short to surmount procedural hurdles, according to K Street and government officials. Congress is expected to return the week of November 15, 2004 and stay for one week to wrap up remaining matters such as the omnibus spending bill. CAFTA incurred a blow last month when the Dominican Republic legislature passed a law assessing a tax on high-fructose corn syrup. The Bush administration has said it will not add the Dominican Republic to CAFTA if the law stands because U.S. officials believe it violates the free-trade agreement between the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Trade has not played a major role this year in either the presidential race or in most congressional contests in the U.S. But in America's rapidly globalizing economy, trade looms as a major challenge for the incoming U.S. Congress and whoever wins the presidency. The new administration must wrap up a string of unfinished bilateral free trade negotiations and probably find a way to gracefully abandon talks for a Western Hemisphere free trade deal, which after a decade of head-butting seems hopelessly deadlocked. Also, the new Congress and president might no longer be able to avoid dealing with the flood tide of imports coming from China, especially as China sells to the U.S. increasingly sophisticated products that directly threaten U.S. jobs.