Article: Bush Likely to Pay High Price for CAFTA Accord
June 27, 2005
After the passage of relatively non-controversial trade deals with Chile, Singapore, Morocco and Australia, George W. Bush is now facing his first serious test under TPA with the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta), which could be voted on in Congress as early as this week. The president warned last week that Central America's embrace of democratic governments and free markets could be jeopardised if Congress rejected the pact.
"These small nations are making big and brave commitments, and America must continue to support them," he said.
Unlike past trade agreements, if Cafta passes it will be almost entirely due to Republican support. As of the weekend, only five Democrats out of the 206 in the House of Representatives had said they would support the agreement.
The White House may still get the votes, but it is likely to pay a very high price. With the Republican party holding a 30-seat House majority, the administration is using every tactic available to persuade its recalcitrant congressional members to support the deal.