[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 48 (Wednesday, April 20, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             PASS DR-CAFTA

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe, but it was 2 long 
decades ago that we saw tyranny in Central America bring war and 
turmoil to our doorstep. Today, through U.S. assistance and the resolve 
of our neighbors to the south, civil war has been replaced by 
burgeoning democracies and free markets. Chaos has been replaced with 
the growing prevalence of the rule of law. Rather than a growing 
national security threat, this region has become an increasingly 
reliable partner in the war on terror, drug interdiction, and migration 
control. As fellow democracies, we are bound together by geography and 
a common commitment to liberty.
  With the Dominican Republic Central American Free Trade Agreement, we 
have an opportunity to solidify this success and lock in the tremendous 
political and economic progress that has been made. President Bush has 
made it clear that advancing the cause of freedom and liberty is 
central to our foreign policy goals. Passage of the DR-CAFTA will be a 
significant step forward in ensuring that the institutions of democracy 
and political pluralism are firmly entrenched throughout this 
hemisphere.

                          ____________________