Via the NYT: House Panel Approves a Trade Pact With Peru

A trade pact between the United States and Peru won bipartisan support in a crucial Congressional committee Tuesday, signaling that some Democrats will be receptive to new trade deals as long as they call on other nations to adhere to international labor and environmental standards.

The action, a voice vote in the House Ways and Means Committee, clears the way for approval of the Peru deal by Congress this fall, with most Republicans and perhaps a minority of the Democrats supporting it, Congressional aides said. The Senate Finance Committee approved the pact on Friday.

Considering that the current Congress has been slow to act on these measures, this is important progress.

Of course, the other pending deals aren’t in as good a shape:

Despite the boost for the Peru deal, prospects for other pending trade deals with Panama, Colombia and South Korea remain clouded by continuing disagreements that have to be resolved before the deals can be approved.

[…]

A Panama deal may have the best chance of passage. But Democratic leaders said that the Colombia deal cannot be considered until Colombia does more to end human rights abuses, especially against workers trying to organize. And they said South Korea must take further steps to open its market to American beef, autos and auto parts.