[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 232]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1200
                     COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  (Mr. RIVERA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RIVERA. Madam Speaker, I rise today for the first time to address 
the House and express my strong support for passage of a free trade 
agreement with Colombia. Colombia is America's fourth-largest trading 
partner in Latin America, and the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates 
that 9,000 American companies trade with Colombia, most of which are 
small businesses and many of which operate in my district in south 
Florida.
  While 90 percent of Colombian goods enter the U.S. duty free, 
American companies still pay tariffs for U.S. goods to enter Colombia. 
The Colombia Free Trade Agreement would eliminate obstacles and 
immediately boost U.S. exports to Colombia. By passing a free trade 
agreement with Colombia, U.S. GDP would increase by roughly $2.5 
billion and exports by over $1 billion, creating thousands of jobs in 
the United States. The Colombia Free Trade Agreement is also a positive 
foreign policy gesture to one of our most reliable allies in the region 
and the oldest continuously functioning democracy in all of South 
America.
  Madam Speaker, it's time to stand with one of our best allies in 
Latin America and create thousands of jobs here at home with passage of 
a Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

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