On July 20, the House approved, 221-205, a bill (H.R. 5684) to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman. Because the Trade Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-210) gave the president authority to negotiate fast-track trade agreements, which Congress may accept or reject without amendments, no amendments were permitted.
During the debate, concerns were voiced about Oman’s record on human trafficking. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) stated, “The Oman FTA contains no effective mechanisms to enforce labor or human rights laws. Instead, this agreement relies on the empty promises that Oman will enforce its own labor laws. If we accept this deal, we are saying to foreign countries: It is okay to force labor among three-fourths of your workers. We are telling them it is okay to deny workers the right to organize for safer working conditions and better wages. If we accept this deal, we turn a blind eye to poor working conditions and organized human trafficking to fill sweat shops.”
Describing labor concerns as a ‘red herring,’ Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said, “This is the strongest labor agreement of any trade agreement we have brought to the floor in this Congress and in previous Congresses…Because of this agreement, the Omanis are raising labor standards for their workers. Because of this agreement, Omanis are making their country more free and more transparent for their people.”
