An attempt by the Bush administration to extend normal trade relations to Vietnam has been defeated in the House. Jesse Russell has more:

With majority support, the measure to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations to Vietnam was seen as sailing to an easy victory in the House of Representatives. However, it lacked the two-thirds needed to pass as a bill on the suspension calendar. The suspension calendar is generally reserved for non-controversial bills that would be expected to pass through the House if time permitted for them to make it to the floor. After hearing the results, Teamsters General President James Hoffa said that the defeat “demonstrates that many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and their constituents are tired of trade pacts that sell out workers everywhere.” However, he added that the fact that because the current Republican majority brought the measure to a vote under the suspension calendar showed that they continue to be “asleep at the wheel.” In 2004, the U.S. State Department classified Vietnam’s human rights record as “poor.” One of the primary reasons, and a major concern to organized labor in the United States, is the lack of a right of freedom of association. That right is what allows workers to organize and collectively bargain. In addition, Vietnam has had an ongoing problem with child labor law violations, although the government has taken steps in recent years to address these international concerns.