Washington D.C. — Calling passage of legislation to promote U.S. trade with Africa "a job that needs to be done," President Clinton appealed to delegates attending the National Summit on Africa here this week "to contact anyone you know in the United States Congress and ask them to do this."
The measure, known as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, won passage last year in both the Senate and the House. But the language differed significantly and final adoption awaits action by a joint conference committee. Both supporters and opponents of the landmark trade bill now believe that could happen, and the legislation could be signed into law this Spring.
The version adopted by the House of Representatives calls on African countries to adopt a list of macroeconomic reforms and, in exchange, offers lower tariffs and fewer quotas on imports and extends the trade benefits in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) until the year 2008. A more limited trade bill passed by the Senate at the very end of the Congressional session combines the Africa bill with a measure promoting trade with the Caribbean.
The Republican leadership in Congress seems to share President Clinton's enthusiasm for the Africa legislation. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott announced in early February that he hopes the two versions of the Africa trade bill can be reconciled by the end of March, and on Tuesday House Majority leader Dick Armey said he would like to send the final bill to President Clinton for his signature in early April.
The main point of disagreement between the House and Senate is textile imports. The House bill would allow the U.S. government to grant duty free import to African textiles, but the Senate bill includes a provision that would allow duty free import of African textiles only if they were made from U.S.-produced yarn and fabric. The lifting of some of the limits on textiles imports from Africa is considered by U.S. officials to be one of the principal immediate benefits that the trade bill could bring to Africa, and as a result members of the House are reluctant to go along with the Senate language.
But staff members from both chambers, who have already met several times to discuss the bill, believe compromise is likely. "We are not so much insistent on the House version of the bill, we really just want a bill that will have some meaningful benefits for Africa," said Greg Crist, a spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee. The House has not yet appointed the members of Congress who will negotiate the final language with the Senate, but key members of the lower chamber are planning to meet the week of February 28 to consider possible compromise language and strategies for winning passage of the legislation.
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The consumer group Public Citizen, the AFL-CIO trade union federation and the African American lobby group TransAfrica all oppose the legislation. Behind the scenes, however, several Congressional staff for members of Congress opposed to the Africa trade bill acknowledge it could pass, principally, they say, because the White House is emphasizing symbol over substance. The administration, said one supporter of the bill in the House, has quietly indicated to members of Congress that it would be willing to support the Senate version of the bill, even if the textile provisions would limit the positive impact the measure would have on African trade.
At the same time, one of the major textile industry groups that has opposed the legislation told members of Congress this week that it might support a weakening of the Senate language limiting textile imports. "I think prospects for blocking this legislation are not good," said a staff aide for one of the Senators who is opposed to the bill.
