U.S. House vetoes Bush provision on Mexican trucks

WASHINGTON, (Sept. 23, 2004) — The House of Representatives voted to kill a key provision in the deal that would open the southern U.S. border to Mexican trucks, and added a measure that would require Mexican and Canadian trucks operating in the U.S. to meet all the same safety, certification, and labeling standards as domestic carriers.

The Bush administration opposes the amendment on the grounds that it will slow already delayed efforts to open U.S. roads to Mexican trucks as required by the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

The Transportation Department had proposed a two-year waiver for Mexican and Canadian trucks and buses to meet all U.S. safety standards, which was struck down by the House.

The measure was offered as an amendment, approved 339-70, to a fiscal year 2005 funding bill for Treasury and Transportation department programs that also passed the House. The Senate has not yet considered its version of the bill.

Currently, most trucks bringing freight to the U.S. from Mexico are allowed to haul no farther than a narrow commercial zone within the border states, where they transfer freight to U.S. trucks and return. Mexican trucks have been banned from operating on other U.S. highways for more than 20 years.

The U.S. -Mexican trucking dispute has been dragging on since 2000, when under NAFTA rules Mexican trucking companies should have received free access to US highways beyond the immediate border area. This summer the Bush administration was cleared to open the borders to Mexican trucks as soon as it wishes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the government can skip a lengthy environmental impact study.

While the measure would technically apply to all foreign commercial vehicles, most Canadian trucks are already subject to U.S. regulations and safety standards. Instead the move was aimed at Mexican trucks, which critics argue aren’t required to abide by similar safety and maintenance standards.

“There is no meaningful inspection of trucks going on in Mexico,” Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio was quoted as saying.

But supporters of the Bush plan insists the vote has less to do with safety concerns and more to do with a growing protectionist and anti-free trade sentiment among U.S. lawmakers, who are increasingly concerned about the loss of U.S. jobs to foreign competition.

Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry has promised to review all U.S. free trade agreements, including NAFTA, if he wins the election on November 2.