By PAUL SINGER
WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- Members of Congress returning home for the recess that begins this weekend are likely to get an earful on trade with China, as both industry groups and labor/environmental coalitions are planning major grassroots lobbying efforts on the topic.
The House plans to vote the week of May 22 on granting permanent normal trade relations with China. Congress currently reviews China's trade status each year, giving lawmakers an annual opportunity to raise concerns about China's human rights and trade policies.
The PNTR vote would do away with the annual vote, and China in return is promising increased access to its markets for U.S. products. Industry groups say PNTR could be a huge boon for the U.S. economy, and may help erase a multi-billion dollar annual trade deficit the U.S. currently has with China.
But environmentalists, human rights activists and labor groups have raised concerns about the deal. The Sierra Club, one of the nation's largest environmental groups, announced Monday that it is launching a joint effort with the AFL-CIO to convince Congress to reject PNTR for China.
The groups argue that giving up the annual review of China's trade status means giving up any leverage to press China to improve its lax environmental standards or its poor record on workers' rights.
Sierra Club spokesman Allen Mattison said Monday that the joint campaign with the AFL-CIO will feature visits to lawmakers in their home districts during the recess that begins on Friday. The Senate will be out for one week beginning Friday, and the House will be out for two weeks beginning Saturday.
"Sierra Club members and AFL-CIO members will be jointly visiting members [of Congress] in their home districts" to urge them to vote against PNTR, Mattison said. While the groups do not yet have a schedule, they plan to hold "as many meetings as we can generate," Mattison said.
But they may run into their opponents in the members' waiting rooms.
Myron Brilliant, director of Asian trade issues for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the chamber is working with other industry groups to generate a grassroots campaign in favor of PNTR.
Brilliant said the Chamber is planning visits "in 66 swing districts in 27 states" during the April recess to drive home to members the importance of the PNTR vote.
"This is our top legislative priority," Brilliant said. "We are investing enormous resources to see it is passed ... We plan to swing for the fences and hit a home run at the grassroots level."
Both sides say the April recess is likely to be the last time constituents will have a chance to meet face-to-face with members prior to the PNTR vote, making the next couple of weeks a critical time for both camps.
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