[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17758]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         CAFTA GOOD FOR WORKERS AND CONSUMERS OVER THE LONG RUN

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, CAFTA has received a lot of criticism from 
many on the other side, but sometimes critics can be wrong. Does free 
trade present challenges to consumers and workers? Absolutely. Is it 
the death knell for manufacturers or textile makers? By no means.
  I believe American workers, American products, American ingenuity can 
compete with any other nation on the planet, and free trade enables us 
to do it. In so doing, it lowers costs for consumers here and actually 
creates jobs. That is right, hundreds of thousands of jobs are 
insourced to this country.
  We have all dealt with the pain of local factories shutting down and 
businesses closing, and it is tragic whenever it happens. But the fact 
is that even without free trade, businesses close. Free trade makes 
sure we have a flow of capital and jobs coming into the Nation.
  So should we compete in the global economy or let it pass by? I think 
we should compete. I choose more and better jobs for our constituents. 
And, Mr. Speaker, this is also a matter of national security. Vote for 
CAFTA.

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