November 2011 | See all news in this issue

Free trade is a bright spot…

Amid all of this partisan wrangling, President Obama and congressional Republicans actually agreed on something: New free-trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama.

Democrats in the House and Senate were split, with opponents claiming that the deals will encourage U.S. businesses to send more jobs overseas. The White House and congressional supporters from both parties argued that the trade pacts will increase exports and encourage stronger trade ties by eliminating tariffs and quotas between the partner countries.

The United States now has similar free-trade deals with 20 countries.

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