House Approves Trade Bill Despite Threatened Veto

The House today overwhelmingly approved, 255 to 161, a bill to limit textile imports, sending the controversial measure to President Reagan, who has threatened to veto any protectionist legislation.

The bill, already approved by the Senate, also offers protection for two of the nation’s other beleaguered industries: shoes and copper.

Rep. Ed Jenkins (D-Ga.), a leading supporter of the textile measure, warned that the United States will become “a second-rate nation” unless it protects its industries and workers from cheap imports.

If it survives a veto, the bill will cut textile imports from the nation’s three major suppliers--South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong--and freeze imports from the next nine biggest exporters: China, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil and Singapore.

Rep. Hal Daub (R-Neb.) called the bill “a kick in the teeth” to American consumers who will pay higher prices for clothing. And he said it is damaging to American agriculture because U.S. trading partners may retaliate by turning to other countries for farm products.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.) had urged his colleagues to reject the narrowly focused bill and promised that his panel would begin work on a compromise trade package when Congress reconvenes in January.

But the trade war fever was running too high, and Rostenkowski’s pleas were ignored.

The bill limits the future growth of all textile and apparel imports except those from Canada and Europe, whose higher-priced merchandise does not threaten the domestic industry.

House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O’Neill Jr. said passage of the bill will “signal to the world that the U.S. Congress does not share the President’s soft line on trade.”

By accepting the Senate-passed trade measure, the House avoided the need for a conference to work out differences between it and the stripped-down textile bill approved by the House in October.