[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 112 (Tuesday, August 3, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2000

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                               speech of

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 2, 1999

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2606) making 
     appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and 
     related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2000, and for other purposes:

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Chairman, today the House considered the Foreign 
Operations Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2000. One issue of great 
concern to me was the absence of funding for the Community Adjustment 
and Investment Program (CAIP) in this appropriations bill. The CAIP is 
a way of helping communities that are negatively impacted by NAFTA.
  With NAFTA came hard times for many areas around the country. 
Businesses moved operations to Mexico, leaving thousands of Americans 
without jobs and many communities in economic distress.
  The CAIP program allows NAFTA affected communities to receive funding 
for job training and investment capital for job creation. Providing 
workers with the skills to acquire new jobs, and providing the 
communities with the funding to establish new enterprises, will help to 
bolster the economies of many NAFTA impacted areas. President Clinton 
understood this when he requested that the CAIP receive $17 million in 
his fiscal year 2000 budget.
  NAFTA was supposed to increase economic prosperity for everyone 
involved in this agreement. The least we can do in Congress is to make 
sure that those American workers who were negatively impacted by NAFTA 
have a chance to succeed as well. The CAIP is a program which helps to 
achieve that goal.
  I am hopeful that my colleagues will realize the importance of CAIP 
and ensure that it will receive funding when this bill goes to 
conference.

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