Perot Blames Parade of Pork for NAFTA, Vows Court Fight

Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire who became the most prominent opponent of the North American Free Trade Agreement, charged Wednesday that President Clinton has prevailed only because of the dozens of deals he cut with wavering lawmakers.

“No votes started changing until the pork started flowing,” Perot said Wednesday evening after conceding defeat while House members were still debating the trade pact.

Perot, famous for his earlier prediction that the agreement would create a “giant sucking sound” as Mexico attracted U.S. jobs, warned that Wednesday’s House vote would set off a “roar” from American factory floors that would cost the jobs of lawmakers in the 1994 and 1996 elections.

In addition, he said, it would sharply increase membership in his United We Stand, America, Inc. He added that the political watchdog group is still split on whether to field candidates for the 1994 congressional elections.

Perot said he would attempt to tie up the trade pact in court and trigger a provision that would cancel the agreement if it threatens the U.S. economy.

Although he has led 93 opposition rallies in recent months and spent freely of his own money, Perot insisted that his principal concern was for workers who would lose their jobs.

“This one tonight is a nuclear hit on our tax base and our economy,” he said.