GOP Arm-Twisters Forced CAFTA to Pass

Congress, under Republican leadership, names post offices and approves innocuous measures during the day, but the most contentious, controversial legislation is debated and voted on in the middle of the night, after people have turned off C-SPAN and most of the press has gone to bed. That makes it easier for GOP leaders to twist arms, threaten to withhold campaign contributions, promise better committee assignments and bigger campaign contributions, or maybe even name a building after the chosen honorable one. They did it on the Medicare bill, on legislation cutting veterans benefits and slashing education funding; they did it on the first $87 billion for the Iraq war and on the No Child Left Behind law. Last week, they struck again: The Central American Free Trade Agreement was brought to the House floor late on Wednesday evening. Earlier, President Bush made a rare visit to huddle with Republicans for 90 minutes at the weekly closed-door meeting of the Republican Conference, telling them that he needed CAFTA for -- what else? -- the war on terrorism. Vice President Dick Cheney spent much of the day in the Capitol. As the vote approached, Republican member after Republican member was ushered into a room 50 feet from the House floor to be persuaded by the vice president. As the leader of the anti-CAFTA effort in the House, I knew that we had promises of 187 or 188 votes from Democrats and 30 to 32 votes from Republicans. Several other Republicans were leaning our way. Thus, we likely exceeded the 217 votes needed to defeat CAFTA. But when a vote finally was called at about 11:05 p.m., it looked as if a Bush cabinet meeting was in progress in the hall outside the House chamber. Secretaries of every department were talking to reluctant Republican members, some of whom later told The Washington Post that many of the favors bestowed in exchange for their votes would be tucked into the huge energy and highway bills that Congress was scheduled to pass the next day. One Republican told me that to avoid the arm-twisting, he voted as soon as the vote was called, jumped in his car and "headed home before any of my leadership knew I was gone." After about 30 minutes -- votes are usually final in about 19 minutes -- opponents were leading. But just 10 minutes later, supporters of CAFTA pulled ahead by three votes, 214-211. Nine Republicans, all committed against CAFTA, had yet to vote; they apparently had promised Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas that they would wait before casting their no votes. Five of the nine had publicly promised that they were voting no. The others had told labor or business groups that they planned to vote against the agreement. Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., switched his CAFTA vote from no to yes and was joined by Reps. Michael Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Steven C. LaTourette, R-Madison. That let off the hook Reps. Bobby Jindal, R-La., Charles W. Boustany, R-La., Rob Simmons, R-Conn., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., all of whom were released by Republican leadership to vote no. Reps. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., and Charles H. Taylor, R-N.C., who had promised to vote no left the floor and did not vote. At 12:09 a.m. Thursday, after a vote of more than hour, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., gaveled that CAFTA had passed, 217-215. A tie would have been a defeat. CAFTA, like the North American Free Trade Agreement, encourages businesses to make decisions that benefit their bottom lines. Unfortunately, those decisions are often proportionately negative for their employees and the communities. When the factory closes, the people stay, their mortgages stay, their health problems stay and their children's many needs remain. Businesses try to compete with corporations that pay workers pennies instead of dollars. In time, American ingenuity and determination will overcome these bad trade policies. Votes such as the one for CAFTA, however, delay our recovery. American businesses and workers, farmers and ranchers, faith-based groups and churches, environmental and human-rights organizations want U.S. trade policy to change. U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Lorain, can be reached at the House of Representatives, 2332 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-3513.