[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13001]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CENTRAL AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, at a recent White House news 
conference President Bush called on Congress to pass the Central 
American Free Trade Agreement this summer. A couple of weeks ago in 
this Chamber the most powerful Republican in the House, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. DeLay), promised a vote by July 4. Well, actually, last 
year the gentleman promised a vote on CAFTA during 2004, then a couple 
of months ago he promised there would be a vote by Memorial Day. Now, I 
think the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) really means it, that there 
will actually be a vote on CAFTA by July 4.
  The many of us who have spoken out against CAFTA, and that includes 
lots of Republicans and Democrats, people on both sides of the aisle 
have a message. Our message is dump this Central American Free Trade 
Agreement. Renegotiate a CAFTA that large numbers of Members of both 
parties can support.
  Now, President Bush signed CAFTA more than a year ago. Every trade 
agreement negotiated by this administration, Chile, Singapore, 
Australia, Morocco, every single trade agreement negotiated by this 
administration has passed Congress within 2 months.

                              {time}  2215

  CAFTA, on the other hand, was signed in May of 2004. It has been 
almost 13 months since CAFTA was signed by the President, but it has 
languished in Congress for more than a year, six times longer than any 
other trade agreement. It has languished in Congress for more than a 
year because this wrong-headed trade agreement offends Republicans and 
Democrats in large numbers.
  Just look at what happened with our trade policy in the last decade. 
I was elected to Congress in 1992. In those days for that year, the 
trade deficit, meaning the amount of goods exported from the United 
States versus imported into the United States, the trade deficit was 
$38 billion. Twelve years later, in 2004, last year, our trade deficit 
was $618 billion. From $38 billion to $618 billion, and the President 
and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the most powerful Republican 
in the Congress, says that our trade policies are working.
  If you think it is working look at this. In addition to the trade 
deficit going from $38 billion to $618 billion in a dozen years, look 
at what is happening to the American manufacturing in the last 5 or 6 
years.
  The States in red are States which have lost 20 percent or more, at 
least 20 percent, of their manufacturing: Michigan, 210,000 jobs lost; 
Illinois, 224,000 jobs lost; Pennsylvania, 199,000; New York, 222,000; 
Mississippi and Alabama, 138,000; South Carolina and North Carolina, 
207,000; the gentleman from Ohio's (Mr. Kucinich) and my State, 217,000 
manufacturing jobs lost, more than one out of five manufacturing jobs 
in our State.
  The States in blue have lost 15 to 20 percent of their manufacturing 
jobs. More than 200,000 in Texas; Florida and Georgia, 178,000. State 
after State after State. Our trade policy simply is not working, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Now, what the administration's doing, though, what CAFTA supporters 
in this Congress have done is they have crafted a one-sided plan to 
benefit multinational corporations at the expense of American and 
Central American workers, at the expense of American and Central 
American small business, at the expense of American and Central 
American farmers.
  It is the same old story. Every time there is a trade agreement, the 
President says three things: It will be mean jobs for Americans, it 
will mean more manufacturing done in the U.S. and more exports, and it 
will mean better wages for workers in developing countries.
  Mr. Speaker, Benjamin Franklin said 200 or so years ago, the 
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over 
and expecting a different outcome. Every time the President says it is 
going to mean more jobs for Americans it is going to mean more 
manufacturing and more export, and it is going to raise living 
standards in the developing countries. Mr. Speaker, it never, ever 
does. These promises fall by the wayside in favor of big business 
interests that send U.S. jobs overseas.
  Again, look at this chart. Look at the millions, 200,000, 200 plus, 
200, 200, 200,000, 350,000 in California. Millions of jobs sent 
overseas. The standard of living in the developing world is stagnant, 
not going up. We are continuing to outsource jobs and the 
administration says let us pass the dysfunctional cousin of NAFTA. It 
is pass CAFTA. There is a reason CAFTA and NAFTA rhyme. It is because 
it is the same old story, the same dysfunctional cousin of NAFTA.
  Now, the administration is doing something different. They are 
linking CAFTA to helping democracy, and helping democracy develop in 
the developing world. That argument does not sell.
  In May, the Chamber of Commerce brought the six Central American and 
Dominican Republic presidents to the United States on a junket, to 
Cincinnati, to Albuquerque, to New York, to Los Angeles, to Washington, 
trying to convince the American people and the American media that this 
is not working.
  The Costa Rican president said they will not ratify CAFTA unless an 
independent commission could determine the agreement will not hurt the 
working families in his country.
  Now, the administration has opened the bank in time to cut deals.
  Mr. Speaker, when the world's poorest people can buy American 
products, not just make them, we will know our trade policies are 
finally working.

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