[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 49 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H2457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            OPPOSED TO CAFTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in 
opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement, otherwise 
known as CAFTA. As many of my colleagues here know, CAFTA is nothing 
more than a green light for corporations to outsource American jobs.
  I am appalled by some of the awful provisions in this shameful trade 
agreement. When you look at the restrictions on Central American 
workers and the outsourcing of American jobs, you will quickly realize 
that there is nothing free about the Central American Free Trade 
Agreement.
  My friends, make no mistake, if we ratify this agreement there will 
be no jobs left in this country to outsource. Did we not learn anything 
as a body from the NAFTA agreement? The lesson we should have learned 
from NAFTA was that not all free trade agreements give us fair trade.
  For instance, NAFTA, which was supposed to be this great jobs 
creator, middle class creator in Mexico, failed to create the middle 
class that it promised. Since NAFTA, the rich are getting richer in 
Mexico while poverty and income disparity are more prevalent than ever. 
As NAFTA failed to protect the middle class, so will CAFTA.
  Congress needs to step up and tell the administration that worker 
protections matter. We need to do what is right and support trade 
policy that is fair and balanced. We need to do what is right and make 
agreements that strengthen labor protections, not overlook them. We 
need to do what is right for safeguarding the environment. We need to 
do what is right for all working people and scrap this terrible 
agreement. We have a moral obligation to make trade fair for all 
Americans and the rest of the world.

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