[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.

                          ____________________