Marathon Pundit: McConnell calls on prez to send pending free trade agreements to Congress

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

McConnell calls on prez to send pending free trade agreements to Congress

President Obama has been talking out of both sides of his mouth in regards to passing job-creationg pending free trade agreements with three nations. But the president, not Congress, holds the cards.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants Obama to send those agreements to Capitol Hill.

The president's recent calls for Congress to pass the pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama—despite the opposition from so many in his own party—is an encouraging sign for economic opportunity here at home. Expanding trade with these allies will create jobs and opportunities but they have been delayed since the President came to office. At a time when millions of Americans are out of work and businesses are looking for opportunities to hire, we must do everything we can to create an environment where jobs can come back. So it is my hope that the President, who continues to refuse to send these agreements to Congress while simultaneously calling for Congress to act, will finally resolve this contradiction by sending the agreements immediately—and that he'll work with us on the extension of Trade Promotion Authority so that we can continue to expand opportunities for American entrepreneurs and our farmers and ranchers.