Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) released the following statement today, after the House of Representatives passed three new, NAFTA-style, free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama.
"They say those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Sadly, by passing new NAFTA-style free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama, my colleagues in the House of Representatives have ensured we will repeat the mistakes of the past, causing additional job loss and suffering for working American families in the process."
"The evidence is clear, free trade is a bad deal for America's workers. It ships too many good paying jobs overseas, and limits economic growth by creating massive trade deficits. Nearly 700,000 American jobs have been lost as a direct result of NAFTA. In my Congressional District in California's Inland Empire, we have lost over 2,000 jobs since the passage of NAFTA in 1993. In that same time frame, the United States has gone from a $1.6 billion trade surplus to a $97 billion trade deficit with Mexico. If these three new trade agreements are signed into law -- America will undoubtedly continue to lose jobs to our foreign competitors. In fact, the trade agreement with Korea alone is estimated to result in 159,000 American jobs being outsourced."
"The unemployment rate in San Bernardino County is at 14%, and families in the Inland Empire continue to face one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the nation. My constituents need new job creation policies, not misguided agreements that will send more jobs overseas. America's working families deserve better from their government. I strongly urge the Senate to reject these job-destroying agreements, and call on President Obama to veto any free trade agreement that reaches his desk."