[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17005-17006]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REASONS TO VOTE NO ON CAFTA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today at 10 o'clock I had 
the pleasure of being with my good friend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Brown) as we attended an interfaith alliance meeting of religious 
leaders across this Nation and outside of America, really, because they 
were from the five Central American countries that are in the CAFTA 
agreement.
  It was quite an impressive ceremony. We had religious leaders that 
care about justice and freedom and opportunities, and the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Brown) and I had a chance to speak. I will tell you that 
these religious leaders from across this Nation, as well as from the 
Central American countries, are opposed to CAFTA. I am opposed to 
CAFTA.
  Let me say this: We all agree that we need to have trade 
relationships with these five Central American countries, but this is 
not the right agreement. I was so impressed, and I am sure my friend 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) will speak pretty soon about this, 
that these people were so committed to justice and fairness and 
opportunity, not just for those in Central America, but those here in 
America.
  I think about my home State of North Carolina. We passed NAFTA, which 
Ross Perot said of in the 1991 debates, ``You know, when we talk about 
all this NAFTA for Mexico, we are talking about jobs being sucked out 
of America.''
  I will tell you truthfully, in my home State of North Carolina, since 
1993 we have lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs. I know people in my 
State of North Carolina that have never been able to replace those jobs 
with the same salary and with the same benefits.
  This agreement that is going to be brought to the floor next week is 
a flawed agreement. We need to send it back to be revisited and 
redrawn, quite frankly.
  But I want to say just in the next couple of minutes that today was 
such an experience. These people, they want to have justice for 
American citizens and workers and also those in the five Central 
American countries. This agreement does not do it.
  I can honestly tell you that we only have maybe 25, maybe 26 
Republicans that are going to vote no on CAFTA, and it is not that we 
are against trying to help those in Central America, and we want to 
help the American workers at the same time, but this agreement is so, 
so flawed that it will not help those.
  What really got to me today when I was listening to these people from 
Central America, they had to have a translator. A couple of them were 
ministers and there was one priest from the Central American countries, 
and two of them had to have translators. They were speaking in English, 
obviously, for those who cannot speak Spanish. But what they were 
saying is what are we going to do to the workers making a $1 an hour, 
some making less than $1, and where the work environment is so poor? 
This agreement will do nothing to help improve that.
  That is what is flawed about this agreement. It does not help the 
American worker, it does not help the workers in the five Central 
American countries. I just hope that we next week in a bipartisan way 
will do what is right, first for America, and secondly for

[[Page 17006]]

those countries in Central America, and go back to the table and redraw 
an agreement that is good for us and good for them.
  I will say in closing, Mr. Speaker, that I was so impressed with the 
attitude today at this interfaith conference, because these people want 
justice for American workers and workers in Central America, and if we 
do not as a Congress meet our responsibility and do what is right, then 
I do not think we are meeting our oaths as we got on this floor and 
raised our hand and said we will support the Constitution of the United 
States of America.
  I think we need to do what is right. That is why I am hoping that we 
will next week vote and defeat this CAFTA bill that will come to the 
floor, if it does come to the floor, and let us go back to the drawing 
table and let us do what is right. We can make a really good agreement 
and help those in America and help those in the five countries.
  Again, my State of North Carolina has lost over 200,000 manufacturing 
jobs. People are saying to me, ``Congressman, please, please, defeat 
the CAFTA agreement when it comes to the floor of the House.''
  Mr. Speaker, I will always try to do what I think is right for this 
country. I want to say thank you to those men and women in uniform in 
Afghanistan and Iraq and their families, and God bless America.

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