An influential Republican senator on Wednesday called on U.S. President Barack Obama to encourage the passage of the pending U.S. trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
Senator Chuck Grassley wrote to the president on the eve of a jobs summit to be held at the White House, which aims to tackle unemployment in the country, reported IowaPolitics.com. The senator claimed that adopting the free trade agreements would help the U.S. economy and create jobs.
He asserted that, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the trade agreement with Colombia would be likely to lead to a net increase in U.S. exports. The U.S. currently has a bilateral trade deficit with Colombia.
Senator Grassley said that America should “seize the new market access opportunities that await American farmers, manufacturers, service providers, and their workers, in Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, as soon as possible.
“I stand ready to work with you to make that happen, and ask that you submit to Congress the implementing legislation for our trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea without delay.”
The U.S.-Colombia trade agreement would remove trade barriers between the two countries. It was signed in 2006, but has not yet been approved by the U.S. Congress.