[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H4863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           RENEGOTIATE CAFTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McCaul of Texas). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, 13 months ago the President of the 
United States signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The 
trade agreement is an agreement between the United States and six Latin 
American countries, five in Central America and the Dominican Republic. 
It has been 13 months, as I said, since the President signed this 
agreement.
  The majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the most 
powerful Republican in the House, promised a vote in 2004. He promised 
a vote by Memorial Day. Now he promised a vote, I think he means it 
this time, by July 4.
  It is simple, the reason we have not voted on the Central American 
Free Trade Agreement, and that is because of the broad opposition in 
this House and among the American people. Republicans and Democrats by 
the dozens in this House oppose the Central American Free Trade 
Agreement. Business organizations, labor unions, both in the United 
States and in the six Latin American countries, oppose the Central 
American Free Trade Agreement. The Latin American Council of Churches, 
as do many religious leaders and churches and organizations in the 
United States, oppose the Central American Free Trade Agreement. 
Environmentalists, active environmentalists, food safety advocates, all 
kinds of very broad-based organizations oppose the Central American 
Free Trade Agreement.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and 
I did a news conference at the Capitol with 23 business leaders 
speaking out, business leaders representing 23 businesses speaking out 
against the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The reason is simply 
that our policy is not working. Our trade policy in this country has 
failed us for 12 years.
  Just look at this chart. Since 1992, the year I was elected to 
Congress, the trade deficit, number of dollars' worth of exports versus 
imports, our trade deficit internationally was $38 billion. Today after 
NAFTA, PNTR, TPA, all these trade agreements, our trade deficit last 
year was $618 billion. From $38 billion to $618 billion.
  Now, maybe those are just numbers, but those numbers translate into 
something much more important than economist data. These numbers 
translate into manufacturing job losses. The States in red have lost 20 
percent of their manufacturing in the last 5 years. The States in blue 
have lost 15 to 20 percent. Ohio, my State, 217,000 jobs lost; Michigan 
210,000; Illinois 224,000. These are just manufacturing job losses. 
People who make a decent wage, a middle-class wage, who have health 
benefits, who have earned pensions, thousands, hundreds of thousands of 
them, have lost their jobs; 228,000 in North Carolina; 130,000 in 
Mississippi and Alabama; 353,000 in California; 201,000 in the State of 
Texas; 200,000 in the State of Pennsylvania; 72,000 in the State of 
Florida. In State after State after State, we are losing hundreds of 
thousands of manufacturing jobs.
  Our the trade policy is not working. CAFTA is more of the same. CAFTA 
is a dysfunctional cousin of the North American Free Trade Agreement. 
It was an agreement that was negotiated by the select few, benefiting 
the select few.
  Now, supporters of CAFTA tell us, as they always do in trade 
agreements, that as a result of this agreement U.S. companies will 
export more products to the developing world. Unfortunately, Mr. 
Speaker, if you look at this chart, that is simply not the case.
  The U.S. typical average wage is $38,000. The average wage in El 
Salvador is 4,800; Honduras 2,600; Nicaragua 2,300. To say that people 
in those countries are going to buy products made in this country 
simply does not pass the credibility test. Hondurans are not going to 
be able to buy cars made in Ohio. Nicaraguans making $2,300 a year are 
not going to be able to buy prime beef raised in Nebraska. Guatemalans 
making $4,100 a year are not going to be able to buy steel from 
Pennsylvania or apparel from North and South Carolina, or be able to 
buy software from Seattle.
  Mr. Speaker, those 23 business organizations that spoke out against 
CAFTA today, labor unions in all seven countries, environmentalists, 
food safety advocates, small businesses, farmers and ranchers in all 
seven countries, in Latin America and in this country, are simply 
saying renegotiate CAFTA; come up with a different Central American 
Free Trade Agreement that will help all of us.
  If we are going to protect prescription drugs, we should protect 
workers. If we are going to protect Hollywood films, as CAFTA does, we 
should protect the environment and food safety.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass a trade agreement that works for all of 
us in this country, not just a select few.




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