Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) today issued a joint statement saying all three pending trade agreements would pass the House with bipartisan support if the White House agreed to act on all three.  The statement comes on the heels of a press conference by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and former United States Trade Representative and current Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) calling for the timely consideration of the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

“By the President’s own measure, these agreements will create up to 250,000 jobs for American workers and don’t require a dime of new federal spending.  The White House’s refusal to act on all three makes no sense, and our colleagues in the Senate are absolutely right – the time for action on the pending free trade agreements is now.  The longer we wait, the more market share U.S. companies lose to foreign competitors and the fewer jobs we create here at home.  Other countries are moving forward, and if we don’t act by July 1, 2011, we risk losing critical market share in each of these countries.  If the President sent us all three agreements, they would pass with bipartisan majorities.”

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