WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed three free trade deals opposed by many of his fellow Democrats in a low-key ceremony on Friday, capping a five-year push by Republicans to get them approved.
The pacts with South Korea, Panama and Colombia are expected to boost U.S. exports by around $13 billion annually, which the administration estimates will create or maintain about 70,000 jobs.
Obama signed the agreements in the Oval Office outside the view of television cameras, and scrubbed earlier plans to speak publicly about the pacts at a reception with business groups in the White House's Rose Garden.
The president faced fierce opposition to the South Korea, Colombia and Panama agreements from many Democrats, which prompted him to negotiate side deals with the three countries to address various concerns.
That strategy paid off when the Senate and the House of Representatives passed all three agreements last week with bipartisan support.
The vote in the Senate for the South Korea agreement, 83-15, was the highest ever received for any trade pact.
DEEPLY UNPOPULAR
But the deals, which were negotiated during the Republican administration of former President George W. Bush, remained deeply unpopular with many House Democrats, especially those from union-heavy states where the North American Free Trade Agreement is blamed for job losses.
The pact with Korea, which only 59 of 192 House Democrats supported, is the largest U.S. trade deal since NAFTA and accounts for most of the expected growth in U.S. exports.
House Democrats voted against the Colombia agreement 158-31 and the Panama pact 123-66. Many Democrats believe Colombia has not done enough to stop killings of trade unionists and to prosecute those responsible for the crimes.
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/10/21/obama-signs-three-long-delayed-free-trade-deals
