The Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America reports that the trade package with CBI Enhancement suffered a major setback on 29 October. On Friday, the US Senate rejected a motion to invoke cloture on the trade package including CBI Enhancement, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and legislation to renew the Generalized System of Preferences and Trade Adjustment Assistance. The motion failed by a vote of 46 nays to 45 yeas (60 yeas are required to invoke cloture). No Democrat supported the motion, and a number of Republican senators – Bunning (KY), Thurmond (SC), Smith (NH), Snowe (ME), Collins (ME), Campbell (CO) voted with the minority party. AACLA says the trade package is not dead yet. In the three hours since this morning’s vote, Majority Leader Trent Lott has filed two cloture petitions which will lead to a pair of votes on Tuesday, November 2. If the first vote is approved (invoking cloture on final passage), a second vote will be held on final passage. Senator Lott and Minority Leader Tom Daschle are currently trying to work out an agreement that would allow their colleagues to use these two opportunities to vote on the substance of the package rather than on other partisan considerations. Analysts agree that roughly 70 of the Senate’s 100 members support the substance of the trade package, but a parliamentary dispute sank Friday’s vote. Senator Lott employed a parliamentary procedure that would have barred any effort to amend the legislation, and Senator Daschle and his fellow Democrats balked. Recent acrimony in the Senate – especially the rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and ongoing budget battles – set the stage for today’s dispute. Underscoring the non-substantive nature of this vote, Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) voted against the package. He did so even though he is a strong supporter of CBI, and earlier this week he distributed AACLA’s brochure promoting passage of CBI to all his Senate colleagues with a "Dear Colleague" letter urging them to cast a favorable vote.
