[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 27, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H6657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CAFTA
(Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, America must build relationships with our
neighbors, relationships that benefit both our future and theirs. But
CAFTA is one more example of the White House agenda that does neither.
It benefits multinational corporations while it devalues workers and
communities, putting corporations on equal footing with democratically
elected governments. What is this about?
Trade agreements should reflect our national values and our
character. CAFTA fails on both measures. Labor and environmental
standards must be an integral part of any trade and negotiation, and
CAFTA fails. By failing to protect minimum labor rights, including
protection for female workers against discrimination, and failing to
enforce environmental standards, CAFTA not only benefits the
multinational corporations against our communities, our families, and
our environment, but it also works against our trading partners. We
know that this is wrong.
We must get CAFTA back on track. We must scrap this version, and we
must start over. Trade agreements that promise jobs in the U.S. as well
as advancing the economies of our neighbors, that is how we must go.
Vote against this dog today.
____________________