[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 21 (Tuesday, March 1, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H820-H822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CAFTA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in strong opposition to the
Central American Free Trade Agreement, otherwise known as CAFTA, or DR-
CAFTA.
CAFTA is largely based on the North American Free Trade Agreement,
also referred to as NAFTA.
By signing CAFTA, the Bush administration has ignored the mistakes
that we know here in the U.S. because of NAFTA, and in fact, CAFTA is
nothing more than what I would say NAFTA-plus.
Ten years ago, NAFTA proponents promised increased wages and economic
development in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and promised decreased
migration. The agreement has failed on all accounts.
Over 750,000 jobs in the United States have been lost due to NAFTA,
and immigration to the U.S. has increased. Through NAFTA, the
administration granted a gift to corporate interests who prioritize
access to cheap labor first and working families last.
Inadequate free trade agreements not only hurt the U.S. but they also
hurt our neighbors.
I recently visited Mexico and saw firsthand for myself the
devastating consequences of NAFTA. In the Maquiladora zone in Cuidad
Juarez and other border cities, wages are low, union organizing is
suppressed and industrial pollution jeopardizes the health and safety
of workers and residents.
Now, those same U.S. jobs that were exported to Mexico are being sent
to China, leaving the economic situation in many areas of Mexico worse
off than before NAFTA.
As in Mexico with NAFTA, CAFTA would cause the loss of family farms
and would lure more workers, most of them women, from the rural areas,
poor women. CAFTA may create jobs for women, but the working conditions
are unimaginable to the American public.
The bulk of these jobs are found in the export processing zones known
as the Maquiladoras. Women that work in the Maquiladoras have reported
forced pregnancy testing, sexual harassment and physical abuse.
CAFTA does not require compliance with international labor rights and
does not protect women from being discriminated against.
In 2001, I traveled to El Salvador and witnessed first hand hundreds
of young girls lined up at 5 o'clock in the morning to enter into the
sweatshops. It provides for many of the textiles that are now being
imported here, going on shifts anywhere from 12 to 14 hours a day.
I am not opposed to trade. So I want to be clear on that. I support
free and fair trade. Let me be clear. Fair trade.
We need to level the playing field and enact trade agreements that
include meaningful labor and environmental standards that will prevent
the exporting of our U.S. jobs and the exploitation of workers abroad.
Our trade policies should lift people out of poverty, not keep them
in poverty.
Opposition to CAFTA is strong in Central America, too. In fact, I was
contacted, as well as other Members of Congress, by elected officials
representing El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras. They sent many
letters to other Members of Congress asking us and urging us to defeat
CAFTA.
CAFTA will mean more job loss and wage decline for American workers,
as well as Central American workers. Lack of enforceable labor
standards leads to a downward push on U.S. workers' wages, particularly
Latino workers.
U.S. Latino workers have been disproportionately hurt by NAFTA
because they tend to be concentrated in industries such as textiles and
other manufacturing sectors.
While Latinos now represent well over 12 percent of the U.S.
workforce, they account for 26 percent of the textile and apparel
industry workers, and in California, the State that I represent,
Latinos make up an estimated 80 percent of the hardest hit California
garment industry. Almost 50 percent of U.S. workers applying for trade
adjustment assistance, that this Congress approved, happen to be
Latino.
In fact, 51 percent of American voters oppose NAFTA and claim it
would hurt workers, wages and hurt our jobs. They also believe that
CAFTA would do the same thing. So I know that in my community there is
a strong, strong resistance to move forward on any semblance of what
NAFTA and now CAFTA-plus would do.
In fact, the league of United Latin American Citizens, LULAC, one of
the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organizations in the
country, has come out in opposition to CAFTA. LULAC claims that CAFTA
falls short of being acceptable and fears it will unleash enormous
losses for all workers in the United States, including Central America.
As the only Member of Congress of Central American descent, I
understand the importance of supporting efforts to promote sustainable
development and preservation of agricultural sectors in regions.
However, U.S. policy towards Latin America should go well beyond free
trade policies that do little to raise wages and working conditions of
the poor.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to also submit for the Record information
on surveys and a letter from LULAC, as well as to make a notation that
a book on CAFTA and free trade, What Every American Should Know, has
just been released, and I would urge the public to look it up. It is by
the author, Greg Spotts.
New Poll Sends a Clear Message to Washington: Americans Oppose CAFTA
A Resounding No! on CAFTA
American voters oppose CAFTA by a solid margin:
A majority of American voters oppose CAFTA! 51% of American
voters said they oppose this trade agreement while just 32%
support it. After presenting both pros and cons about CAFTA,
opposition increased to 54% and support fell to 30%.
Voters oppose CAFTA regardless of their party. Democrats
oppose CAFTA by a 53 to 31 percent margin, Independents
oppose it by
[[Page H821]]
a 53 to 32 percent margin, and Republicans oppose it by a 47
to 37 percent margin.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Voters see free trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA for what
they are: catalysts to destroying U.S. jobs.
An overwhelming 74% opposed CAFTA when asked if they would
favor or oppose the agreement if it reduced prices they would
pay as a consumer but at the cost of jobs for U.S. workers.
Of those American voters who opposed CAFTA, more than half
(52%) cited the threat to the U.S. economy and jobs as their
primary concern.
Many Other Serious Concerns with CAFTA
When presented with various pro and con arguments about
CAFTA, American voters expressed serious concerns with many
of the trade agreement's shortcomings, including:
CAFTA's lack of requirements for Central American countries
to protect the environment and restrict child labor made 69%
of voters less likely to support the trade deal.
CAFTA's impact on moving manufacturing jobs overseas for
cheaper labor made 60% of voters less likely to support the
trade deal.
CAFTA's negative effect on U.S. sovereignty by allowing
foreign corporations to sue the U.S. outside of our judicial
system made 56% of voters less likely to support the trade
deal.
Thanks for Nothing, NAFTA!
CAFTA's ``big brother'' and model NAFTA was soundly
rejected by American voters:
51% of American voters say that NAFTA has been bad for the
U.S. economy because cheap imports from abroad have hurt
wages and cost jobs here at home and that the U.S. should not
pursue free trade agreements with other countries in the
future.
____
Americans Oppose CAFTA Trade Agreement
Washington, Mar. 1, 2005.--www.AmericansForFairTrade.org
today announced the results of a research survey that shows
51% of Americans across all political parties oppose the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). CAFTA's model,
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), was also
soundly rejected by a majority of Americans. Voters were
primarily concerned with the negative impact CAFTA will have
on the American economy along with possible significant job
losses.
``The survey clearly shows that a strong majority of
Democrats and Independents and almost half of all Republicans
oppose CAFTA. These results should send a powerful message to
Congress that their constituents will choose their farms and
jobs over another flawed trade deal,'' said Ernest Baynard,
Executive Director of www.AmericansForFairTrade.org. ``The
survey also shows that Americans are all too familiar with
the failed promises and negative impact of NAFTA--CAFTA's
older brother--and are rightfully wary of more of the same.''
www.AmericansForFairTrade.org will host a conference call
for members of the media to discuss the survey results today,
March 1, 2005 at 12:00 PM (Eastern time). Details about the
conference call follow at the end of this release.
The survey found that 51% oppose the CAFTA trade agreement
altogether and only 32% support it. Anti-CAFTA sentiment
crosses party lines, with Republicans (47 to 37 percent)
joining Democrats (53 to 31 percent) and Independents (53 to
32 percent) in opposition to the agreement. Overall
opposition to CAFTA is stronger in red states (53 to 31
percent) than in blue states (48 to 34 percent).
The loss of jobs was of greatest concern to American
voters. An overwhelming 75% opposed CAFTA when asked if they
would favor or oppose the agreement if it reduced consumer
prices but caused job losses. Of those who directly opposed
CAFTA, more than half cited the threat to the U.S. economy
and jobs as their primary concern (52%).
NAFTA destroyed an estimated 880,000 jobs, according to the
Economic Policy Institute. In a recent study, the United
States International Trade Commission found that the CAFTA
will cause significant job losses across many sectors in the
U.S. if the agreement is implemented.
While a plurality of Hispanic voters initially support
CAFTA (44 to 39 percent), they are more likely to change
their opinion about the deal after hearing a series of
positive and negative statements about it, ultimately
opposing CAFTA by a 47 to 40 percent margin. As with voters
overall, loss of American jobs is a significant concern to
Hispanic voters.
When presented with various pro and con arguments about
CAFTA, American voters expressed serious concerns with many
of the trade agreement's shortcomings, including:
Sixty-nine percent of voters said that CAFTA's lack of
requirements for Central American countries to protect the
environment and restrict child labor makes them less likely
to support the deal;
Fifty-six percent said that CAFTA's negative effect on U.S.
sovereignty, by allowing foreign corporations to sue the U.S.
outside of our judicial system, makes them less likely to
support the deal; and
Immigration is also an important concern for voters. When
presented with a positive argument that CAFTA will help
reduce illegal immigration by providing economic
opportunities in the CAFTA countries, 45 percent of voters
said it would make them more likely to support the deal.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that immigration increased
substantially in the years after NAFTA was implemented and
many believe CAFTA will strongly follow suit.
Commissioned by www.AmericansForFairTrade.org and conducted
by the research firms of Ayres, McHenry & Associates, Inc.
and Ipsos-Public Affairs, the non-partisan research was
conducted through a telephone survey among registered voters
with a Hispanic over-sample on February 1-February 6, 2005.
Voters were surveyed on their overall opinion of free trade,
their feelings toward NAFTA, and their perception of CAFTA.
Voters were questioned about their opinions on CAFTA before
and after being presented with various arguments supporting
or opposing the agreement. This poll was made available in
both English and Spanish.
CAFTA is a trade agreement between the United States and
six countries in the Central American region: Costa Rica, the
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and
Nicaragua. Signed into agreement in May 2004, CAFTA has yet
to be presented to the U.S. Congress for approval. Trade
Promotion Authority mandates that Congress cannot amend the
agreement, but can only vote to approve or reject it.
Upon learning more about CAFTA, Hispanic voters are among
the demographic groups most likely to swing strongly to
oppose the agreement,'' Baynard continued. ``Already many
leading Latino, faith-based and labor organizations--in both
the United States and Central America--vehemently oppose
CAFTA. Our research underscores the fact that Hispanic voters
don't support this deal and will play a key role in asking
Congress to reject CAFTA when it comes up for a vote this
year.''
about the survey
This national survey was conducted by Ayres, McHenry &
Associates, Inc. and Ipsos-Public Affairs via phone February
1-6, 2005. The survey of registered voters has a national
sample of 800 weighted respondents, with an over sample to
yield 300 Hispanic respondents. The margin of error is 3.5%
for the national sample and 5.7% for the Hispanic over-
sample.
Addtional details about the poll are
available online at www.AmericansForFairTrade.org.
Individuals, groups, and other entities are free to cite the
results of this poll provided
they give proper attribution to
www.AmericansForFairTrade.org.
about www.americansforfairtrade.org
The www.AmericansForFairTrade.org coalition includes
producers of textiles, small and medium sized manufactures,
beef and cattle ranchers, farm organizations, organized
labor, commodity groups, religious congregations, faith-based
organizations and others. To learn more, go to
www.AmericansForFairTrade.org.
about ayres, mchenry & associates, inc.
Ayres, McHenry & Associates, Inc., is a national public
opinion and public affairs research firm located in
Alexandria, VA that specializes in providing quality research
and strategic advice to corporations, associations, and
political candidates.
Roll Call, a widely-read newspaper on Capitol Hill, called
the firm ``one of the best in the nation.'' Campaigns &
Elections magazine profiled Whit Ayres, the company's
president, and Jon McHenry, the company's vice-president, as
two of the country's political ``movers and shakers.'' For
more information visit www.ayresmchenry.com.
about ipsos-public affairs
Ipsos-Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, public
affairs company made up of campaign and political polling
veterans as well as research professionals, Ipsos-Public
Affairs conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse
number of Canadian, American and international organizations.
Typically, the division's studies are based on opinion
research; not only public opinion but often elite
stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion. To learn more,
visit www.ipsos-pa.com.
Thomas Riehle is President and C.O.O. of Ipsos-Public
Affairs in the U.S. He has over 15 years experience in
political polling in Washington D.C., working with
governments, corporations, political campaigns, party
organizations, lobbying and interest groups, labor unions and
industry associations.
media conference call information
www.AmericansForFairTrade.org's Executive Director, Ernest
Baynard, will join researches Jon McHenry from Ayres, McHenry
& Associates, Inc., and Thom Riehle from Ipsos-Public Affairs
to discuss this research survey in a conference call with
members for the media at 12:00 PM (Eastern time) today.
Members of the media in the United States should call (800)
289-0572 to participate. To access the call, use the call
title ``Americans for Fair Trade.'' Please not that this call
is open to members of the media only.
For members of Spanish-language media, Ms. Ana
Iparraguirre, Research Manager from Ipsos-Public Affairs will
be available for interviews and to discuss the poll. Ms.
Iparraguirre has vast experience designing and conducting
both quantitative and qualitative research projects in the
U.S. and Latin America. She is a native Spanish speaker with
fluency in English.
[[Page H822]]
____
LULAC Opposes CAFTA
Washington.--The League of United Latin American Citizens
(LULAC) joins several immigrant rights and Latino community
organizations today on Capitol Hill to oppose the Central
American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The groups will
present formal letters denouncing CAFTA and demanding that
U.S. Members of Congress vote against the proposed free trade
agreement.
This month LULAC passed a resolution at its national
assembly in opposition of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement. The resolution explained the various reasons why
CAFTA would cause further harm for U.S. Latinos and Hispanics
abroad. ``Like NAFTA, the passage of CAFTA would cause more
harm than good by further encouraging the relocation of
manufacturing jobs to cheaper labor markets pitting U.S.
Latinos and Mexicans against citizens of the global south in
a race to the bottom,'' said LULAC National President Hector
Flores.
In order to become law, CAFTA must be voted on by the U.S.
Congress and those six country's legislative bodies. Business
and government forces have been lobbying hard for CAFTA, and
this week Salvadoran President Tony Saca met with President
Bush about the deal, while trade and labor ministers from the
region promoted CAFTA at a press event last week. Meanwhile,
labor unions and social organizations in the U.S., Central
America, and the Dominican Republic have united in opposition
to CAFTA.
``LULAC is firmly committed to addressing the issue of
equitable and sustainable economic development for Central
America. We fear that CAFTA will unleash enormous losses for
workers in the region as it is currently designed. LULAC not
only works on economic development issues, but we are equally
working to resolve immigration problems in the United States.
If CAFTA is enacted, we fear that we will be trying to stem a
tide of desperate undocumented immigrants. The proof lies in
the results stemming from the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), which has more than doubled undocumented
immigration from Mexico since its enactment,'' said Gabriela
D. Lemus, Ph.D., LULAC National Director of Policy and
Legislation.
LULAC's resolution describes the many reasons why CAFTA
falls short of being acceptable, including its lack of
adequate enforcement provisions for violations of
internationally recognized labor and environmental standards;
and it provisions that would allow corporations a substantial
amount of power to challenge the countries' governmental
standards in these areas. Accordingly, LULAC as an
organization, resolved to call upon state-level organizations
and local chapters to educate members about the negative
impacts of NAFTA and the threat CAFTA poses to workers'
health and prosperity.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the
oldest and largest Latino organization in the United States.
LULAC advances the economic condition, educational
attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of
Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating
at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.
____________________