[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3304]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2015
             SUPPORT THE COLOMBIA TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT

  (Mr. BRADY of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, U.S. relations with Latin America 
stand at a critical juncture.
  Just last weekend after a successful attack by Colombian troops 
against the terrorist FARC, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed 
his outrage and ordered his troops to the Colombian border. He 
convinced Ecuador to do the same. There is evidence that Chavez has 
colluded with these terrorists and seeks to destroy the democratic 
government of Colombia.
  The U.S. must support our ally at this critical time. And Congress 
has a unique opportunity to do just that by passing the Colombia Free 
Trade Agreement.
  Colombia is our ally. They are committed to democracy. They are 
reducing violence in our country. They are fighting the terrorists in 
our backyard. This is not the time for America to turn our back on 
Colombia. We need a ``yes'' or ``no'' vote this year on this important 
free trade agreement.

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