The drumbeat for action on trade continues this week with several hearings on Capitol Hill. I’m testifying today before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade hearing entitled “Made in America: Increasing Jobs through Exports and Trade.” Two other hearings are being held on pending trade agreements today and tomorrow as well.

While the agreement with Korea plainly enjoys broad bipartisan and business community support, the received wisdom in Washington is that the accord with Colombia is a heavier lift, and Panama’s prospects -- rightly or wrongly -- are seen as tied to those of Colombia.

But consider these comments over the past week:

• The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that in “a letter signed by 44 Senate Republicans, including Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and GOP whip Jon Kyl of Arizona, the legislators pledged to ‘use all the tools at our disposal to force action [on all three FTAs], including withholding support for any nominee for Commerce Secretary and any trade-related nominees.’”
• U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in Reuters last Wednesday: “We believe we can wrap up our negotiations with Colombia quickly.” In his prepared testimony to the Senate Finance Committee, he stated: “I am committed to working with you to address the concerns identified this year and to prepare the [Colombia] agreement for congressional consideration immediately thereafter.”
• Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) told The Hill last week: “The time is here, the time is now, in fact, the time is past to ratify Colombia. We’re losing market share hand over fist… It’s a no-brainer, I just hope we get this passed quickly.”
• Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) in his own statement: “Some suggest that the strong interest in quick approval of our trade agreements with Colombia and Panama is driven by partisanship. I am not going to pull my punches here. That is false. There is strong bipartisan support for these agreements in this Committee and in the Senate.”
• Colombian Ambassador Gabriel Silva stated last week “that while the administration wasn’t discussing reopening the core agreement negotiated with the Bush administration, ‘we believe we can work constructively and quickly with the administration and the U.S. Congress to address the outstanding issues,’” The Wall Street Journal reports.

Now, there have been years of positive talk about the agreement of Colombia, without action. The Chamber will keep the pressure on until there is. But aren’t we all saying the same thing?