Updated 3:28 PM ET May 12, 2000 By Adam Entous WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - President Bill Clinton's landmark trade agreement with China will clear two key congressional committees next week but is in serious peril in the House of Representatives, according to a Reuters poll. Legislation granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China will be approved by the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee in votes scheduled for May 17, the survey found. But Clinton is still 56 votes short of the 218 needed to ensure passage in the 435-member House, which will take up the trade bill in less than two weeks. According to the poll, 171 members said they would oppose or were likely to oppose the bill, while 162 said they would support or were likely to support the measure. Ninety-one lawmakers said they were undecided; 11 did not respond. To drum up much-needed support, Clinton flew to Ohio and Minnesota Friday to lobby businessmen, labor and religious leaders. In Ohio, he headed to the district of Rep. Tom Sawyer, an undecided Democrat, to trumpet the benefits of the pact. "In every way it's an economic winner," Clinton said. Despite the lobbying effort, so far only 39 House Democrats said they would support their president's top trade and foreign policy initiative. That compares to 118 Democrats who said they would oppose or were likely to oppose PNTR, citing concerns about China's record on human rights and labor standards. The administration hopes to boost the number of Democratic supporters to between 70 and 80 before the House votes in the week of May 22, but Republican leaders said that would not be enough. They want Clinton to deliver at least 85 Democrats to ensure passage. Commerce Secretary William Daley said that would be "very very very difficult." To shore up Democratic support in the House, the administration is pressing the Republican leadership to accept legislation that would create a commission to monitor Beijing's human rights record. Initially dismissed by top Republicans as counterproductive, the monitoring plan has gained momentum on Capitol Hill and Republican leaders expressed confidence a bipartisan agreement would be reached next week. UPHILL BATTLE Under current law, China's trade status comes up for review each year. But to lock in the benefits of the trade agreement ushering Beijing into the World Trade Organization, the White House says Congress must do away with these annual reviews and grant Beijing permanent normal trade relations. PNTR would permanently guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as products from nearly every other nation. China would in turn open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications, to U.S. businesses. According to a Reuters poll, 20 lawmakers on the 39-member House Ways and Means Committee said they would vote in favor of the trade bill. Another four members said they were likely to support PNTR. That is more than enough to ensure passage by the Ways and Means Committee and to move the trade bill to the full House, where the outcome is far from certain. New York Rep. Charles Rangel, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, plans to announce his position on PNTR early next week. Trade sources expect Rangel to support the White House. Union leaders, who met with Rangel Thursday and Friday, worry he will bring other black and Hispanic Democrats with him. The Senate Finance Committee will also take up the trade bill on May 17. According a Reuters poll, 15 senators on the 20-member panel said they would support permanent normal trade relations with China, more than enough for passage. The full Senate is expected to vote in early June and approval is virtually assured. http://news.excite.com/news/r/000512/15/wto-china-congress -- Bard "Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country." -- Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry We are a Nation of the Rule of Law; however, I, for one, will not be Ruled by the Lawless. To All Elected Officials: "Stop stealing my earnings that you use to give to those whom you know will vote for you." There's not a dime bit of difference between a DemoRat and a RepubRat, they're simply two wings of the same bird of prey which pecks at your earnings while insidiously devouring your Freedom. BUCHANAN-Reform http://gopatgo2000.com/default.htm <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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