‘Fast Track’ Is Right Track for U.S. Trade Interest

President Clinton intends to ask Congress to grant him “fast track” authority to negotiate trade agreements with other nations. It is in the United States’ best interest for him to have that authority.

Without fast track, trade treaties can be endlessly amended and bickered over, usually a fatal process. With fast track, Congress votes up or down, without amendments. That was how the generally successful North American Free Trade Agreement was passed in 1993.

The fast-track procedure was put in place in the mid-1970s, and a number of trade accords were approved under it. But three years ago the authority lapsed. With the economy so strong, now is the time to restore the power and move to lower trade barriers and create markets for U.S. goods, particularly in Latin America.

Our NAFTA partners, Mexico and Canada, have signed trade agreements with Chile and other nations, and five South American nations--Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay--have created a trade group offering access to a market of 210 million consumers. That alliance has begun trade negotiations with the European Union.

Opposition to Clinton’s request comes mainly from within his own party. Richard A. Gephardt, the House minority leader and a likely candidate for the 2000 Democratic nomination, leads the critics, saying trade accords should “place labor rights and environmental protection in the core of every treaty.”

By labor rights, Gephardt means in part that the U.S. government should have a decisive say in what wages should be paid to foreign workers. It is hard to imagine how one nation could dictate that to another.

Regarding the environment, Gephardt is concerned with pollution along the U.S.-Mexican border. NAFTA called for stricter enforcement of Mexico’s environmental laws, but that provision has been laxly followed. This failure should not derail the present negotiation for fast track, though it should be a reminder that more teeth are needed in environmental agreements that accompany trade pacts.

NAFTA has not been the job generator that its backers promised, but neither has it been the job killer that opponents predicted. There is no good reason to fear free trade. And with global trade having doubled in the last decade, there is every reason to give the president fast track and the ability to negotiate deals that will stick.