Congress passes ball to Obama on FTA with S. Korea

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with results of markups; CHANGES headline) By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, July 7 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Congress on Thursday took a step forward in the long-overdue process of ratifying a major trade pact with South Korea, as key committees backed draft implementing legislation. In a "mock" mark-up, the Democrat-controlled Senate Finance Committee voted for the free trade agreement (FTA), signed in 2007, with the renewal of an expensive pro-workers program, despite Republican members' opposition. Republicans support the FTA itself but disapprove of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, aimed at helping workers adversely affected by trade. The House Ways and Means Committee had a separate hearing and endorsed the bill on the FTA with South Korea, called KORUS FTA. The TAA issue was excluded in the draft bill of the House committee, dominated by Republicans. The agreements at the mock markups are not binding, only intended as a recommendation to President Barack Obama. It is uncertain when Obama will submit the bill to Congress. It is also unclear whether he will continue to attach the controversial TAA to the KORUS. His priority is apparently a deal in federal debt-limit talks. Republican senators remain critical of the connection between the TAA and KORUS. "Placing the TAA spending program in the South Korea bill was not an acceptable outcome," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the senior member of the committee. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont), chairman of the committee, emphasized it is Obama's call. "It's up to the president what he sends up," he said. Obama is pushing to get trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama ratified in a package before Congress enters summer recess on Aug. 5. Meanwhile, South Korea's ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is also seeking to pass the country's own bill on KORUS next month, while the main opposition Democratic Party demands more time for further discussions. Congress holds such mock markups under the Trade Promotion Authority Act, also known as "fast track" procedures, so that related committees can recommend to the administration the provisions that should be included in the final version of bills. But any agreed-upon amendments are nonbinding and may only be sent back to the White House for consideration. Eventually, the president will send a complete agreement to the Senate and the House of Representatives for an "up or down" vote