From "White House Barters for Trade Pact Votes" in The Wall Street Journal:
...free-trade business groups are pushing for Cafta, and administration officials are combing a "whip list" of more than 50 lawmakers who say their minds aren't made up. "It's full speed ahead," says Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who has met with some undecided members three or four times. He also has reached outside the Beltway, calling chief executives at pro-Cafta companies and giving interviews to newspapers and radio stations in key states, with the goal of rallying grass-roots support. Daily strategy is plotted on 7:45 a.m. conference calls that bring together officials from the White House, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the departments of Commerce, Treasury, State and Agriculture.
Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has made the most visible contribution in the vote-getting effort. The California Republican pledged to move legislation that would expose China to a new range of trade sanctions, and in return secured the support of Republican Rep. Phil English, a trade critic from Pennsylvania, and perhaps six to eight lawmakers for whom cracking down on China is the deciding issue. Among them is Rep. Todd Platts, a Pennsylvania Republican who says he is now "probably leaning yes."
