Republican blames Obama for trade programmes lapse

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s  failure to lay out a timetable for winning congressional  approval of free trade pacts with Colombia and Panama has  blocked renewal of trade programs for the Andean region and  displaced U.S. workers, a top Republican lawmaker said yesterday.

“Without this commitment from the administration, other  trade measures — such as TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) and  ATPA (Andean Trade Preferences Act), which we sought to extend  this week — are now in limbo and American workers will suffer