[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-CENTRAL AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  (Mrs. BIGGERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the DR-
CAFTA accord, not just because it is good for America but because it is 
good for the businesses and workers in my district in suburban Chicago.
  Recently, I received a letter from one of the largest employers in my 
district. He wrote to say that today the tariff he pays on one of the 
products he manufactures and sends to Guatemala is 5 percent. If it 
enters the Dominican Republic, he pays 8 percent. And if it goes to 
Costa Rica, the tax is 14 percent.
  In his letter he pointed out that all that will change on the day 
that DR-CAFTA goes into effect. Most tariffs on U.S. manufactured 
goods, including the product he wrote about, will be completely 
eliminated. For his company, shareholders, and workers, it means 
profits, greater competitiveness, and jobs.
  About 80 percent of the goods made in DR-CAFTA countries already 
enter the U.S. duty free. Let us level the playing field and do 
something positive for our manufacturers and workers. Let us pass DR-
CAFTA now.

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