CAFTA-DR

The Richardson appointment was nice, but…

by Ivan Osorio on December 3, 2008 · 2 comments

in Economy, Trade

When was the last time the U.S.’s top trade official wasn’t a strong advocate for free trade? It may happen in the new Obama Administration.

According to numerous news reports, President-elect Obama has offered the post of USTR to Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), a 16-year member of the House, who serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee that oversees trade and is a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi — his website lists him as “Assistant to the Speaker.”

Becerra’s record on supporting free trade is a mixed bag. He voted to hold up the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. He voted for the Peru free trade agreement, but against the Oman FTA and the Central America-DR FTA. He is a strong proponent of including non-trade issues in trade agreements, particularly labor and environmental provisions that could act as protectionist trade barriers by forcing poor countries to adopt rich countries’ standards.

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