[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2328-H2329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE U.S.-COLOMBIA TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to express concern 
about an action taken by this House this past week, and let me begin by 
asking this House who is America's best friend in Latin America?
  Well, the answer is pretty loud and clear, and that is America's best 
friend in Latin America is the democratic Republic of Colombia, a 
nation of 42 million people, the second largest Spanish-speaking nation 
in the world, a nation which is recognized throughout Latin America 
and, frankly, throughout the world as United States' most reliable 
partner in counterterrorism, United States' most reliable partner in 
counternarcotics. It's the Republic of Colombia.
  Well, this passed week the House of Representatives, the Democratic 
majority, which controls it, voted to turn its back, this Congress's 
back, on our most reliable partner in Latin America, sending a terrible 
signal to all of Latin America that if you are a good friend of the 
United States, you're not very important and you're not a very big 
priority, and when we have an agreement, we'll ignore it.
  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade promotion agreement with 
Colombia and the United States. It's a good agreement. Why is it a good 
agreement? Because it's a win-win-win for Illinois workers, Illinois 
farmers, Illinois manufacturers. The majority of this House, an 
overwhelming bipartisan majority of this House, voted earlier this past 
year to pass trade preferences for the Andean region, for countries 
like Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. And what the trade 
preferences do is allow all the products that come in from Colombia 
that enter the United States duty free, no taxes, no tariffs. So 
agricultural products and manufactured goods made in Colombia and 
produced in Colombia enter the United States duty free. However, 
without the trade promotion agreement, products made in Illinois by 
Illinois workers or farm goods like corn and soybeans produced by 
Illinois farmers and, of course, manufacturers and workers all suffer 
taxes or tariffs on U.S.- and Illinois-made goods exported to Colombia.
  We have often heard from constituents that say trade's important in 
Illinois and it just doesn't seem right when one country's products 
come into the United States duty free but we don't get reciprocity. And 
the U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement gives us that reciprocity. In fact, 
farm organizations will tell you that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement 
is the best ever negotiated to give U.S. farmers and growers and 
producers access to a foreign market. And when it comes to manufactured 
goods, 85 percent of the manufactured goods exported to Colombia would 
be duty free immediately.

                              {time}  1930

  In my district, I have 8,000 constituents, union members, who work 
for a company which makes the yellow bulldozers and yellow construction 
equipment. Right now, those bulldozers made in America suffer a 15 
percent tariff, which means the cost of that product is 15 percent 
more, making Illinois-manufactured construction equipment, like 
bulldozers and mining trucks, 15 percent more expensive but also less 
competitive with Asian competition.
  We need this trade promotion agreement. And we need to have that 
brought to the floor for an up-or-down vote. Because I believe if it is 
brought to the floor for an up-or-down vote, the majority of this House 
would agree that we need to continue to expand our markets overseas for 
Illinois-manufactured goods and Illinois farm products as well as 
American farm products and American manufactured goods. It is a good 
agreement.

[[Page H2329]]

  Now, there are those who say, ``Colombia, yeah, they are our partner, 
and, of course, they are the oldest democracy in Latin America. But 
there has been violence in that country.'' Historically they are right. 
President Uribe, when he was elected, pledged to defeat the FARC, the 
left-wing narcotrafficking terrorist group which has troubled the 
nation of Colombia over the last 40 years. And he has made tremendous 
progress.
  In fact, President Uribe today enjoys 80 percent approval. Eight out 
of 10 Colombians approve of the leadership of President Uribe. And if 
you look at this Congress, this House of Representatives, this Congress 
has an 18 percent approval rating. So clearly, the Colombians think 
more of their president than the American people do this Congress. And 
at the same time that he has made progress defeating the left-wing 
narcotrafficking FARC, 73 percent of the Colombian people believe he 
has made Colombia more secure and safer while respecting human rights. 
In fact, today the murder rate in Colombia is lower than in Washington, 
D.C. It is lower than in Baltimore. In fact, it is safer in Colombia 
than it is in our Nation's Capital.
  The U.S.-Colombia trade promotion agreement is a good agreement for 
American workers, American farmers and American manufacturers. Let's 
bring it to a vote.

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