House vote on Australia trade deal this summer

WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert plans to hold a vote on a newly signed free trade deal between the United States and Australia sometime this summer.

The Illinois Republican has told a group of trade association officials Tuesday that the vote will come by the end of the summer, a move supported by the Bush administration.

While business lobbyists have been hoping for a vote as soon as possible to avoid a protracted fight during the run up to the fall elections, Hill aides predicted a potential tough fight over approving the deal.

For one, many U.S. farm interests and agricultural companies are not supporting the deal.

Agricultural interests oppose the deal because it reduces tariffs on many Australian commodities imported to the United States, a move expected to increase imports of farm goods.

But large agribusinesses oppose it because it does not reduce existing restriction on imports of sugar, a win for powerful U.S. sugar interests.

In addition, a debate in the presidential campaign over the outsourcing of jobs has highlighted the role free trade agreements have played in the phenomenon.

A vote on the deal is also expected to impact other trade agreements -- including ones with Central American nations and Morocco -- awaiting congressional approval.