Reporter-News Archives Saturday, October 25, 1997 Area farmer says trade bill a pocketbook issue By JIM O'CONNELL / Scripps Howard News Service WASHINGTON -- J.B. Cooper of Roscoe has a message for his fellow farmers and ranchers: the complex trade bill being debated on Capitol Hill is a pocketbook issue. Without the "fast track" trade negotiating authority for which President Clinton is pressing Congress, foreign producers will move into America's traditional agriculture markets in South America and the Pacific Rim, Cooper said. Cooper, who farms cotton on 1,800 acres, is one of dozens of agriculture industry representatives lobbying Congress this week for support of the fast track trade authority. He was on hand earlier this week as Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Stamford, kicked off an agriculture industry push for the trade authority. Glickman said that agriculture, which is the most export-dependent part of the U.S. economy, has the most to gain from fast track. "The people who will like it the most if we don't do fast track will be our competitors," Glickman said. The authority, which Congress has granted to every president since Gerald Ford, gives the president the ability to get speedy congressional votes without changes on trade agreements he negotiates. Trading partners are likely to be reluctant to reach agreements with the administration if Congress could meddle with the results. But labor unions oppose the measure, fearing that the agreement would mean an export of U.S. jobs. Some Texas congressmen have reported hearing lots of opposition to the trade authority during visits to their home districts. Many Democrats are hesitant to buck labor, even if they feel the trade agreement would ultimately boost the U.S. economy, Stenholm said. Many lawmakers would "like to vote no, but have it pass," Stenholm said. Stenholm solidly supports the measure, and is trying to line up support among fellow Democrats. "This is absolutely necessary for the future of our industry," Stenholm said. The White House has decided first to try to pass the measure in the Senate, where prospects are brighter, to build momentum for a final push in the House. But Republicans leaders in the House remain so doubtful about the measure's support that they have refused to schedule a vote before Congress adjourns early next month. To break the logjam, farm industry officials are pressuring lawmakers for support and trying to persuade farmers and ranchers that the trade agreement is in their interest, Cooper said. "It's a complicated situation," Cooper said. "We really haven't done a good job informing agriculture producers about it." Polls show that many Americans remain skeptical that free trade agreements, like NAFTA, send U.S. jobs to cheaper labor markets overseas. "It sounds like we're trying to shove something down somebody's throat,"Cooper said. "But any agreement has to be voted on by Congress. And without it, foreign countries will move into our markets because we're out of the picture."   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications