11th-Hour Brokering Paved Way for Bush's Trade Pact Triumph
WASHINGTON — Rep. Robert B. Aderholt's cellphone rang Wednesday as the Alabama Republican was standing in the House gallery with some constituents.
The caller was President Bush.
Bush told Aderholt that he hoped the lawmaker would support the Central American Free Trade Agreement when it came up for a vote later in the day, emphasizing its importance to national security. Aderholt laid out some concerns about the accord. What followed was the kind of last-minute negotiating that helped Bush push his controversial trade pact through the House with a margin of two votes.
The call presented Aderholt with an opportunity that he was quick to seize. "I have some real concerns about the way CAFTA would treat my district, and I have some things that really need to be worked out before I can vote for it," Aderholt said he told the president. "He said, 'OK, we'll continue to call you on this.' "
By the end of the day, Aderholt had in hand a letter signed by Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, promising a series of steps to protect sock manufacturers and poultry producers in Aderholt's northern Alabama district.
The late bargaining for votes in support of CAFTA angered critics, who said Thursday that they considered the deal-making unseemly.
"Right there in front of us, for the world to see, they were twisting arms, making deals, changing votes," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). "This let's-make-a-deal mentality
As lawmakers returned to work Thursday after a lengthy CAFTA debate and roll call that went past midnight, there were hints of recriminations and retribution.
The vote was the culmination of months of intense lobbying by the Bush administration and its allies on a trade pact whose economic significance paled in comparison with its symbolic importance.
CAFTA, which was approved by the Senate in June and now awaits Bush's signature, will remove most trade barriers between the United States and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The agreement became a lightning rod for discontent about globalization, China's trade and currency policies, and U.S. job losses.
Heading into Wednesday's House showdown, it appeared Bush might become the first president in more than 40 years to suffer the loss of a major trade agreement in Congress.
