[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 108 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H7200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXPRESSING OPPOSITION TO SINGAPORE-CHILE FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Singapore-
Chile Free Trade Agreement. The Singapore-Chile Free Trade Agreement 
will do nothing to promote free trade and will do nothing to help 
workers in this Nation. We need jobs right here in the United States, 
right here, not in another country.
   We have seen the damage that has happened when Congress passed free 
trade agreements. NAFTA cost the Americans 766,000 jobs, 80,000 from 
California alone. We need to create jobs for working families here in 
the United States. We must not let this happen again. Our people need 
jobs. They need to put food on the table, not fear that their jobs are 
going to be lost to some foreign country.
   By negotiating this agreement, it is clear that the administration 
has overstepped its authority by creating an agreement that does not 
protect the rights of the American worker, I state, does not protect 
the rights of the American workers.
  These agreements will further hurt the American manufacturing jobs at 
a time when we watched 56,000 manufacturing jobs disappear last month.
   They are an assault on workers' rights. In the Singapore agreement, 
there is only one enforceable provision that attempts to protect 
workers, one, I state one; but that provision ultimately will do 
nothing to protect workers because it merely says that Singapore should 
uphold its labor regulations. Furthermore, it does not even say what 
those regulations are; and under this agreement, Singapore is allowed 
to define what rights workers have.
   This is unacceptable. What will happen to workers if Singapore 
decides to ban unions? What will happen to workers if Singapore decides 
to allow sweat shops and child labor? What will the United States be 
able to do under this agreement? Nothing, absolutely nothing. This 
agreement ties our hands. This agreement will allow countries to weaken 
labor standards and exploit workers all in the name of profit. It is 
not safe, and it is not fair; but the lack of labor standards is not 
what is wrong with this agreement.
   The Singapore agreement contains a provision that has no reason to 
be included. Under this agreement, Singapore will be able to import raw 
materials from countries like China and assemble them and import it 
into America duty free. Why is this provision there? China has a 
horrible labor standard and runs prison labor camps. Why are we 
allowing China to benefit from this? We are giving China, who has very 
few protections for its workers, the right to piggyback on this 
agreement and bring goods to America duty free.
   Is this a free trade agreement with China, or is it with Singapore? 
Why must we support China's poor labor standards? There is no reason 
and no excuse for this unfair, dangerous provision. This agreement 
should be about trade and improving economic interests of both nations.
   So why is it that there are immigration rules included in this 
agreement? The administration tried to slip one over on Congress by 
negotiating a new rule for temporary foreign workers. They overstepped 
the bounds set by the Trade Promotion Authority and reduced Congress' 
role to a rubber stamp. Well, I will not stamp it.
   Immigration legislation demands debate. It demands the attention of 
our committees. The safety of our country is at risk when immigration 
rules are decided in back rooms and dark corners. We want safety, and 
we demand fairness. It is not fair to transfer workers all the way from 
Singapore and Chile to take away jobs while an entire workforce, ready, 
willing and able, stands behind a fence at Mexico's border.
   These agreements are not safe, and they are not fair. America should 
be worried. Its workers should be worried. We must not let this become 
the future example for a free trade agreement with America. We must 
stand together and fight against unfair and unsafe agreements that hurt 
the American workers. We must support our workers, the American 
workers. We need to improve the quality of life here in America.

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