Senate Panel Calls for Mexican Truck Inspections
The vote came a day after President Bush sent a letter to committee chairman Robert Byrd threatening to veto any bill that didn't give full access to Mexican trucks, as was the case with the House version passed last month.
Bush had set a target date of January 2002 for Mexican trucks gaining complete access.
Under the Senate committee's provision, Mexican truckers would be required to pass inspections and would not be granted full access until trained safety inspectors are in place at the border.
Although this bill is milder the House's ban on expanded Mexican truck traffic, it does threaten President Bush's goal of giving Mexican trucks full access to U.S. roads by January 2002. Mexican trucks had prevously been limited to a commercial zone stretching 20 miles north of the Mexican border.
Bush has promised to honor the Mexican trucking provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement be-tween the United States, Canada and Mexico, which were previously blocked by the Clinton administration over safety concerns.
The president had said he would veto any bill that denied Mexican trucks greater access in the United States. According to Reuters, Claire Buchan, a White House spokeswoman, said Thursday night that the administration still had concerns about the committee's conditions but was willing to work with the Senate.
lthough no schedule for debate was set, senators were already predicting it would be fierce.
One Senate Democrat, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, said he is unhappy with the committee's position, and might try to block full access for Mexican trucks when the full Senate debates the bill.
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