Major Votes on Free Trade Agreements and Trade Promotion Authority

July 31, 2019 (R45846)
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Congress and Free Trade Agreements
Acknowledgements

Tables

Table 1. U.S. Trade Agreements and Trade Promotion Authority: A Timeline
Table 2. Major Votes on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Implementing Legislation
Table 3. Major Legislation and Votes on U.S. Membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Table 4. Major Votes on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Provisions

Appendixes

Appendix. Selected CRS Reports and Resources

Summary

On November 30, 2018, the Trump Administration signed a revised free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada and Mexico, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). In order for USMCA to go into effect and replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Congress will have to pass implementing legislation. (For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10997, Proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement, by Ian F. Fergusson and M. Angeles Villarreal.)

Since 1979, Congress has passed 16 implementation measures for FTAs and multilateral trade agreements. The majority of these trade agreements were considered in Congress under Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which provides for expedited consideration of FTAs in Congress. Since 1979, Congress has passed six measures extending TPA for limited time periods. As with many international trade issues, TPA has been politically contentious over time, resulting in vigorous debate and two multi-year lapses in authority.

Congress and Free Trade Agreements

This report compiles the final congressional votes on free trade agreements (FTAs), trade promotion authority (TPA), and U.S membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In the past 30 years, the United States has pursued bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade agreements in an attempt to liberalize markets and reduce trade and investment barriers. Congress has played a central role in shaping this trade policy. Congress—through debate and legislation—defines trade negotiation priorities, approves free trade agreements (FTAs), and oversees agreements' implementation and enforcement.

While the President has the authority to negotiate treaties with foreign countries, Congress has sole constitutional authority to regulate international trade.¹ Since 1934, Congress has periodically delegated some authority to negotiate trade agreements to the President. In the Trade Act of 1974, Congress outlined many of the congressional and executive roles regarding trade agreements; Congress delegated negotiation authority to the President, but required congressional approval (through implementation legislation) of any free trade agreement. Congress also created a process to allow for expedient consideration in Congress of FTAs, provided the President observe certain statutory requirements.² This expedient consideration is known as TPA or, formerly, "fast-track" consideration.³

Free Trade Agreements: Bilateral, Regional, and Multilateral

The United States is currently party to 12 bilateral FTAs (with Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Peru, and Singapore) and to 2 regional trade agreements (the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)).⁴ For a list and timeline of trade agreements where negotiations were concluded, see Table 1. For a compilation of final congressional votes on FTAs considered in Congress, see Table 2.

In addition to regional and bilateral agreements, the United States is also party to multilateral agreements that outline membership in the WTO, a 164-member international organization. The WTO was created in 1995 to oversee and administer multilateral trade rules, serve as a forum for trade liberalization negotiations, and resolve trade disputes.⁵ When Congress approved the WTO Uruguay Round Agreement, it included a set of procedures to allow Congress to reconsider U.S. membership in the WTO by passing a joint resolution calling for withdrawal from the organization.⁶ Congress may vote every five years on withdrawal from the WTO. Resolutions were introduced in the 106^th and 109^th Congress; neither passed. See Table 3 for a compilation of major legislation and votes concerning U.S. membership to the WTO.

Trade Promotion Authority

All U.S. FTAs, except the agreement with Jordan, were considered in Congress under Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). TPA is the process by which Congress enables FTA legislation to be considered under expedited legislative procedures, provided the President observes certain statutory obligations. Because TPA is extended only for limited periods, Congress periodically reconsiders legislation to extend it and to outline future negotiation objectives. Since 1974, Congress has passed seven measures extending TPA. TPA, like many issues related to international trade, has been politically contentious in Congress over time, resulting in vigorous debate and two multi-year lapses in authority.⁷ For a list of major votes on TPA, see Table 4.

Congressional Votes on Select Trade Legislation

Congressional consideration of bills can be a complex process, sometimes requiring multiple votes. For clarity's sake, this report only provides the final vote for each measure. More complete bill information can be found on Congress.gov—including roll call votes for all legislation back to 1993. The bill numbers listed in the following tables link to Congress.gov, and the vote tallies link to the House and Senate roll call votes, for all votes back to 1993.

Table 1 provides a timeline of trade agreements including the date the agreement was signed, the date implementing legislation was enacted, and the date the agreement went into force. The table also notes the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation under which the trade agreement was considered in Congress. The table includes fully implemented trade agreements, as well as two recent FTAs—the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA)—where the United States completed negotiations and signed the agreement, but the agreement has not been implemented.

Table 2 provides major votes on FTAs, including the final House and Senate votes on FTA implementing legislation.

Table 3 provides major votes on U.S. membership to the WTO, including implementing legislation for multilateral agreements and resolutions calling for the United States to withdraw from the WTO.

Table 4 provides major votes on TPA legislation. It includes the final House and Senate votes on TPA-related provisions. Votes are grouped by the trade agreement authority granted to the President.

For a selected list of CRS products on FTAs and TPA, see the Appendix.

Table 1. U.S. Trade Agreements and Trade Promotion Authority: A Timeline

1985-2018, descending order by entry into force date

U.S. Trade Agreement	Agreement Signed	Implementing Legislation Signed by President	Agreement Entered into Force	TPA^a
USMCA^b	11/30/2018	n/a	n/a	Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Trans-Pacific Partnership^c	2/4/2016	n/a	n/a	Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
Colombia	11/22/2006	10/21/2011	5/15/2012	Trade Act of 2002
South Korea	6/30/2007	10/21/2011	3/15/2012	Trade Act of 2002
Panama	6/28/2007	10/21/2011	10/31/2012	Trade Act of 2002
Peru	4/12/2006	12/14/2007	2/1/2009	Trade Act of 2002
Oman	1/19/2006	9/26/2006	1/1/2009	Trade Act of 2002
Bahrain	9/14/2004	1/11/2006	1/11/2006	Trade Act of 2002
CAFTA-DR^d	5/28/2004 (CAFTA); 8/5/2004 (DR)	8/2/2005	entered into force on a rolling basis, 2006-2009^e	Trade Act of 2002
Morocco	6/15/2004	8/17/2004	1/1/2006	Trade Act of 2002
Australia	5/18/2004	8/3/2004	1/1/2005	Trade Act of 2002
Chile	6/6/2003	9/3/2003	1/1/2004	Trade Act of 2002
Singapore	5/6/2003	9/3/2003	1/1/2004	Trade Act of 2002
Jordan	10/24/2000	9/28/2001	12/17/2001	Not considered under TPA
WTO^f (Uruguay Round)	4/15/1994	12/8/1994	1/1/1995	Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988
NAFTA^g	12/17/1992	12/8/1993	1/1/1994	Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988
Canada^h	1/2/1988	9/28/1988	1/1/1989	Trade and Tariff Act of 1984
Israel	4/22/1985	6/11/1985	8/19/1985	Trade and Tariff Act of 1984

Source: Compiled from the U.S. Trade Representative's website, Congress.gov, Treaties in Force, Congressional Quarterly Almanac, and CRS Report RL33743, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy, by Ian F. Fergusson

Notes: Also see CRS Infographic IG10001, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and U.S. Trade Agreements, by Brock R. Williams.

a. Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is the legislation that grants the President authority to negotiate trade agreements for which implementing legislation may receive expedited treatment in Congress.

b. USMCA includes Canada and Mexico, and is a proposed FTA that would, if implemented, supersede the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

c. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a proposed FTA, signed by the United States and 11 other Asia-Pacific countries on Feb. 4, 2016. In Jan. 2017, the United States notified the other TPP signatories that it would not ratify the agreement, effectively ending TPP's potential entry into force as written. In March 2018, the remaining 11 TPP partners signed a slightly revised agreement, without the United Stated, called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

d. CAFTA-DR (Dominican Republic-Central America-United States FTA) includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.

e. CAFTA-DR entered into force on a rolling basis as the President certified each country's compliance with the agreement: El Salvador (March 1, 2006); Honduras and Nicaragua (April 1, 2006); Guatemala (July 1, 2006); the Dominican Republic (March 1, 2007); and Costa Rica (January 1, 2009).

f. The Uruguay Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) included a series of multilateral agreements that established the WTO and outlined trade rules and membership to the international organization.

g. NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) includes Mexico and Canada.

h. The U.S.-Canada FTA was superseded by NAFTA.

Table 2. Major Votes on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Implementing Legislation

(Agreements listed by date of FTA enactment)

Congress (Year)	U.S. FTA	Bill	Description of Bill	Final Votes
				House	Senate
112^th (2011)	Colombia	H.R. 3078	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 112-42.	262-167 (Passed) 10/12/2011	66-33 (Passed) 10/12/2011
110^th (2008)		H.Res. 1092	Resolution to suspend TPA consideration of Colombia FTA in the 110^th Congress. (The Administration did not resubmit the Colombia FTA to Congress until the 112^th Congress.)	224-195 (Passed) 04/10/2008	n/a
112^th (2011)	South Korea	H.R. 3080	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 112-41.	278-151 (Passed) 10/12/2011	83-15 (Passed) 10/12/2011
112^th (2011)	Panama	H.R. 3079	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 112-43.	300-129 (Passed) 10/12/2011	77-22 (Passed) 10/12/2011
110^th (2007)	Peru	H.R. 3688	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 110-138.	285-132 (Passed) 11/08/2007	77-18 (Passed) 12/04/2007
109^th (2006)	Oman	H.R. 5684	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 109-283.	221-205 (Passed) 07/20/2006	62-32 (Passed) 09/19/2006
109^th (2006)		S. 3569	FTA implementation act.	—	60-34 (Passed) 06/29/2006
109^th (2006)	Bahrain	H.R. 4340	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 109-169.	327-95 (Passed) 12/07/2005	By Unanimous Consent. 12/13/2005
109^th (2005)	CAFTA-DR^a	H.R. 3045	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 109-53.	217-215 (Passed) 07/28/2005	55-45 (Passed) 07/28/2005
109^th (2005)		S. 1307	FTA implementation act.	—	54-45 (Passed) 06/30/2005
108^th (2004)	Morocco	H.R. 4842	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 108-302.	323-99 (Passed) 07/22/2004	By Unanimous Consent 07/22/2004
108^th (2004)		S. 2677	FTA implementation act.	—	85-13 (Passed) 07/21/2004
108^th (2004)	Australia	H.R. 4759	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 108-286.	314-109 (Passed) 07/14/2004	80-16 (Passed) 07/15/2004
108^th (2004)	Chile	H.R. 2738	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 108-77.	270-156 (Passed) 07/24/2003	65-32 (Passed) 07/31/2003
108^th (2003)		S.Res. 211	A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding provisions in the Chile and Singapore FTAs and immigration.	n/a	By Unanimous Consent 07/31/2003
108^th (2003)	Singapore	H.R. 2739	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 108-78.	272-155 (Passed) 07/24/2003	66-32 (Passed) 07/31/2003
108^th (2003)		S.Res. 211	A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding provisions in the Chile and Singapore FTAs on trade agreements and immigration.	n/a	By Unanimous Consent 07/31/2003
107^th (2001)	Jordan	H.R. 2603	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 107-43.	Voice vote (Agreed) 07/31/2001	Voice vote (Agreed) 09/24/2001
103^rd (1993)	NAFTA^b	H.R. 3450	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 103-182.	234-200 (Passed) 11/17/1993	61-38 (Passed) 11/20/1993
100^th (1988)	Canada^c	H.R. 5090	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 100-449.	366-40 (Passed) 08/09/1988	83-9 (Passed) 09/19/1988
104^th (1996)	Israel	H.R. 3074	Amendments to the Israel FTA, enacted, P.L. 104-234.	Voice vote (Agreed) 04/16/1996	By Unanimous Consent 09/27/1996
99^th (1985)		H.R. 2268	FTA implementation act; enacted, P.L. 99-47.	422-0 (Passed) 05/07/1985	Voice Vote (Agreed) 05/23/1985

Source: Compiled from Congress.gov and CQ Almanac.

Notes: TPA=Trade promotion authority. For more detailed bill information, the bill numbers above link to Congress.gov, and the vote tallies link to the House and Senate roll call votes, where available. In a few examples (Oman, CAFTA-DR, Morocco), the Senate passed an implementing bill before the House version. The Senate later considered and passed the House version of the bill, as revenue-generating bills must originate in the House. The Senate bills that received a vote are included in the above table.

a. CAFTA-DR is the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States FTA, and includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.

b. NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement, and includes Mexico and Canada.

c. U.S.-Canada FTA was superseded by NAFTA.

Table 3. Major Legislation and Votes on U.S. Membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO)

1994-2018

Congress	P.L./Bill	Type	Description of Bill	Final Votes
				House	Senate
103^rd	P.L. 103-465 (H.R. 5110)	Implementation act	Uruguay Round Agreements Act (Implementation act for WTO agreements).	288-146 (Passed) 11/29/1994	76-24 (Passed) 12/01/1994
109^th	H.J.Res. 27	Proposed Withdrawal from WTO	Withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO.	86-338 (Failed) 06/09/2005	—
109^th	H.Res. 304	Consideration of Proposed Withdrawal from WTO	Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J.Res. 27) withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO.	Voice vote (Passed) 06/08/2005	n/a
106^th	H.J.Res. 90	Proposed Withdrawal from WTO	Withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO.	56-363 (Failed) 06/21/2000	—
106^th	H.Res. 528	Consideration of Proposed Withdrawal from WTO	Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J.Res. 90) withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO.	343-61(Passed) 06/21/2000	n/a
106^th	H.J.Res. 89	Proposed Withdrawal from WTO	Withdrawing the approval of the United States from the Agreement establishing the WTO.	[no votes taken]	—

Source: Compiled from Congress.gov.

Notes: WTO and its predecessor the GATT are multilateral trade agreements. GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) was a multilateral agreement that aimed to lower tariffs and established the nondiscriminatory principles of trade that were later carried over into the WTO. GATT was provisionally applied in 1948, with subsequent rounds of negotiations. The last round of negotiations, the Uruguay Round, established the WTO, which incorporated GATT.

Section 125(b) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (P.L. 103-465) sets procedures for congressional disapproval of WTO participation. It specifies that Congress's approval of the WTO agreement shall cease to be effective "if and only if" Congress enacts a joint resolution calling for withdrawal. Congress may vote every five years on withdrawal.

Table 4. Major Votes on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Provisions

Final votes on TPA provisions, 1974-2018. Legislation listed by date of vote.

Congress	Bill	Name of Act or Description	Final Votes on TPA provisions		Notes
			House Vote	Senate Vote
Votes related to the 2015 TPA grant
114^th	H.R. 2146	Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015	218-208, (Passed) 6/18/2015	60-38, (Passed) 6/24/2015	Enacted, P.L. 114-26, 06/29/2015. Extended TPA to include the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and other prospective FTAs.
114^th	H.R. 1314	Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015	Measure considered under "division of the question." Measure failed because while Title 1 (TPA) passed, Title II failed. Title 1 vote (on TPA): 219-211, 6/12/2015; Title II vote (on other issues): 126-302, 6/12/2015^a	Vote concerning TPA: 62-37, (Passed) 5/22/2015^b	The TPA provisions in H.R. 1314 passed in the Senate, but failed in the House. An amendment identical to the Senate version of H.R. 1314 was then inserted into an unrelated bill, H.R. 2146 (see above).
Votes related to the 2002 TPA grant
110^th	H.Res. 1092	Resolution to remove TPA consideration from the U.S.-Colombia FTA bill (H.R. 5724) in the 110th Congress	224-195, (Agreed) 04/10/2008	n/a	This measure removed TPA consideration (granted through the TPA provisions in the Trade Act of 2002) from the U.S.-Colombia FTA (H.R. 5724) in the 110th Congress. No further legislative action occurred in the 110th Congress on H.R. 5724. The U.S.-Colombia FTA was not resubmitted to Congress until the 112th Congress.
107^th	H.R. 3009	The Trade Act of 2002	215-212, (Passed) 7/27/2002	64-34, (Passed) 8/1/2002	Enacted, P.L. 107-210, 8/6/2002. Eleven FTAs were negotiated and considered in Congress under the TPA provisions in the Trade Act of 2002. See Table 1.
107^th	H.Res. 450	H. Res. 450 Relating to consideration of H.R. 3009	216-215, (Agreed) 6/26/2002	n/a	A rule to expand the scope of H.R. 3009 (the Trade Act of 2002)
107^th	H.R. 3005	Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002	215-214, (Passed) 12/6/2001	n/a
TPA Lapse, 1994-2002
105^th	H.R. 2621	Reciprocal Trade Agreement Authorities Act of 1997	180-243, (Failed) 9/25/1998	n/a	Measure attempted to renew TPA. Measure failed. TPA lapsed between 1994 and 2002.
Votes related to the 1988 TPA grant
103^rd	H.R. 1876	To extend fast-track procedures for Uruguay Round trade agreements	295-126, (Passed) 6/22/1993	76-16, (Passed) 6/30/1993	Enacted, P.L. 103-49, 7/2/1993. Amended the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (see below) to extend TPA for the WTO Uruguay Round agreements.
102^nd	S.Res. 78	Resolution disapproving a two-year extension of fast-track procedures under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.	n/a	36-59, (Failed) 5/24/1991	A failed attempt to deny a two-year extension of the TPA provisions in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Also see identical bill H.Res. 101.
102^nd	H.Res. 101	Resolution disapproving the extension of fast-track procedures to implement trade agreements entered into after May 31, 1991, and by May 31, 1993.	192-231, (Failed) 5/23/1991	n/a	Also see identical bill S. Res. 78 (above).
102^nd	H.Res. 146	Resolution concerning U.S. objectives of future trade agreements	329-85, (Passed) 5/23/1991	n/a	Bill attempted to emphasize that Congress could suspend fast track consideration if the Administration did not negotiate adequate protections for workers, industries, and the environment.

100^th	H.R. 4848	Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988	376-45, (Passed) 7/13/1988	85-11, (Passed) 8/3/1988	Enacted, P.L. 100-418, 8/23/1988. Provided TPA consideration for NAFTA and the WTO Uruguay Round Agreements.
100^th	H.R. 3	Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1987	312-107, (Passed) 04/21/1987; (Vetoed by the President, 5/24/1988); Motion to override Presidential veto: 308-113, (Passed) 5/24/1988	63-36, (Passed) 4/27/1988; (Vetoed by the President, 5/24/1988) Motion to override veto: 61-37, (Failed) 6/8/1988	Measure failed over presidential veto. Provisions from H.R.3, concerning TPA, were reintroduced into H.R. 4848, which was enacted as P.L. 100-418 (see above).
100^th	S. 1420	Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1987	n/a	Senate passed H.R. 3 in lieu of this measure, by Yea-Nay Vote of 71-27, 07/21/1987	See related bill H.R. 3, above.
Votes related to the 1984 TPA grant
98^th	H.R. 3398	The Trade and Tariff Act of 1984	386–1, (Passed) 10/9/1984	96-0, (Passed) 9/20/1984	Enacted, P.L. 98-573, 10/30/1984. Provided TPA consideration to the Canada and Israel FTAs.
98^th	H.R. 5377	U.S. Israel Free Trade Area	416-6, (Passed) 10/3/1984	n/a	Text of bill was inserted into H.R.3398, the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984 (see above). Outlined authority and negotiating priorities for the U.S.-Israel FTA.
Votes related to the 1974 TPA grant
96^th	H.R. 4537	Trade Agreements Act of 1979	395-7, (Passed) 07/11/1979	90-4, (Passed) 07/23/1979	Enacted, P.L. 96-39, 07/26/1979.
Votes related to the 1974 TPA grant
93^rd	H.R. 10710	Trade Act of 1974	323-36, (Passed) 12/20/1974	72-4, (Passed) 12/20/1974	Enacted, P.L. 93-618, 01/03/1975.

Source: Compiled by CRS from Congress.gov.

Notes: Bolded titles were enacted into law. For more detailed bill information, the bill numbers above link to Congress.gov. There were two notable lapses in TPA: between 1994 and 2002 and between 2007 and 2015. For more on TPA, see CRS Report R43491, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions, by Ian F. Fergusson and Christopher M. Davis.

a. The measure was voted on in the House under a procedure known as "division of the question," which requires separate votes on each component, but approval of both to pass. Title 1 concerning TPA passed the House; however, Title II, concerning trade adjustment assistance, failed. Thus, the measure failed, under "division of the question." (House roll call votes on H.R. 1314: Title I (TPA): Roll no. 362, 6/12/2015; Title II: Roll no. 361, 6/12/2015.)

b. Roll call vote 193, 5/22/2015.

Appendix. Selected CRS Reports and Resources

On Trade Promotion Authority

CRS In Focus IF10297, TPP-Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Timeline, by Ian F. Fergusson

CRS Report R43491, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions, by Ian F. Fergusson and Christopher M. Davis

CRS Report RL33743, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy, by Ian F. Fergusson

CRS Infographic IG10001, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and U.S. Trade Agreements, by Brock R. Williams

On Select Free Trade Agreements

CRS Report R45198, U.S. and Global Trade Agreements: Issues for Congress, by Brock R. Williams

CRS In Focus IF10733, U.S.-South Korea (KORUS) FTA, coordinated by Brock R. Williams

CRS Report RL34470, The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues, by M. Angeles Villarreal and Edward Y. Gracia

CRS Report RS22164, DR-CAFTA: Regional Issues, by Clare Ribando Seelke

CRS In Focus IF10394, Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), by M. Angeles Villarreal

CRS Insight IN10903, CRS Products on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), by M. Angeles Villarreal

CRS In Focus IF10997, Proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement, by Ian F. Fergusson and M. Angeles Villarreal

CRS In Focus IF10000, TPP: Overview and Current Status, by Brock R. Williams and Ian F. Fergusson

On Multilateral Trade Agreements

CRS Report R45417, World Trade Organization: Overview and Future Direction, coordinated by Cathleen D. Cimino-Isaacs

Acknowledgements

This report benefited greatly from the work of retired CRS Research Librarian, Carolyn Smith.

Author Contact Information

Keigh E. Hammond, Research Librarian ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Footnotes

1.	Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution gives Congress the power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations ..." and "To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts, and Excises.... "
2.	Section 102 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
3.	For more on Trade Promotion Authority see CRS Report RL33743, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy, by Ian F. Fergusson and CRS Report R43491, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions, by Ian F. Fergusson and Christopher M. Davis.
4.	For more, see CRS Report R45198, U.S. and Global Trade Agreements: Issues for Congress, by Brock R. Williams.
5.	See CRS Report R45417, World Trade Organization: Overview and Future Direction, coordinated by Cathleen D. Cimino-Isaacs.
6.	Section 125(b) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (P.L. 103-465) sets procedures for congressional disapproval of WTO participation. It specifies that Congress's approval of the WTO agreement shall cease to be effective "if and only if" Congress enacts a joint resolution calling for withdrawal. Congress may vote every five years on withdrawal.
7.	Since 1974, there were two notable lapses in TPA: between 1994 and 2002 and between 2007 and 2015. For more on TPA, see CRS Report R43491, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions, by Ian F. Fergusson and Christopher M. Davis.