by Sean Hackbarth

The clock is ticking.

On July 1, the European Union-Korea Free Trade Agreement will take effect, and the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will do so six weeks later. These agreements will put American workers and farmers at a competitive disadvantage. Washington continuing to delay approving the pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, South Korea, and Panama is putting 380,000 American jobs at risk according to a U.S. Chamber study.

Today, we recieved good news that the Senate Finance Committee will hold a “mock” markup for the pending trade agreements and other trade programs.

Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber, urged Congress to continue moving foward:

With our economic recovery stalling, the time is now for Congress to act on these deals. We simply cannot afford to put American jobs at risk any longer.

American workers and farmers waited more than four years for the trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama, and the lapse in key trade programs has also caused hardship.

In addition to broad support in Congress for the pending trade agreements, there has historically been bipartisan support for Trade Adjustment Assistance, the Generalized System of Preferences, and the Andean Trade Preference Act. Likewise, the Chamber continues to support all three of these programs.

For members of Congress who care about American jobs, this is a moment of truth. I urge members of both parties to seize a reasonable compromise and move the trade agenda forward. The time to act is now.

Learn more about the benefits of trade in your area at TradeSupportsJobs.com.