One of the prickliest issues in Congress lately has been the prospective free- trade agreement with Mexico. While economists are virtually unanimous that free trade benefits both trading nations, labor unions fear they'll lose jobs to Mexicans who work for lower wages, and have opposed the pact. So have environmentalists, who fear that industry will boom south of the border, where antipollution laws are less strictly enforced.
When President Bush promised to seek better cooperation from Mexico on the environment and to help supplanted workers, chances for an agreement took a giant step forward. Last week congressional committees endorsed Bush's authority...
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