NAFTA Notes Friday, October 1, 1993 Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee Approves NAFTA * Yesterday, NAFTA cleared the first hurdle in the legislative process. In a voice vote in the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade, implementing legislation on NAFTA was approved without objection. It now moves on to the full Committee for consideration. New Poll Shows NAFTA Support * In a Times-Mirror poll released today, a plurality of those polled voiced support for the NAFTA. 42 percent of those polled supported NAFTA, while 37 percent opposed and 21 percent didn't have a position. This is a shift from before the President's remarks at the signing of the NAFTA side accords. In polls done before the President's strong speech two weeks ago, those opposing NAFTA outnumbered those supporting by 36-25 in a Wall St. Journal/NBC poll, and 41-35 in a CNN/USA Today survey. * Today, the President will be meeting with Members of Congress, continuing his efforts in support of NAFTA. In addition to the numerous phone calls to lawmakers, the President has been actively working to build support for NAFTA: Last Friday he strongly applauded an Appeals Court ruling overturning the decision which required an environmental impact statement before sending NAFTA to Congress -- the last procedural hurdle; last Monday, the President discussed NAFTA as part of his global vision in an address to the opening of the General Assembly of the UN; and Wednesday he stressed the link between exports, jobs, and NAFTA in his announcement of the Administration's new export initiative. California Reps. Beilenson, Berman Endorse NAFTA * In a statement released yesterday, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) endorsed NAFTA, stating: "In the end, I conclude that passing NAFTA is in the best interest of advancing my own intense commitment to creating new, high-wage manufacturing jobs in Southern California." Berman, who before entering Congress was a union labor lawyer, noted that manufacturing jobs "have been the engine of upward mobility for hundreds of millions of hard-working Americans," concluding, "I am convinced that NAFTA is the route to restoring manufacturing jobs." * Rep. Anthony Beilenson (D-CA), in an interview Tuesday with the Los Angeles Times, also came out in support of NAFTA. "What we're talking about here is reducing trade barriers, almost all of which have been erected in Mexico," Beilenson said. "Its clear that we're going to be able to sell even more to them." ###