Cornyn Urges Congress To Pass U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Press Release
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the President's Export Council, on Monday urged Democrat House Leader Nancy Pelosi to reconsider her obstruction of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which would boost Texas job opportunities and bolster America's national security.
Sen. Cornyn said Texas sends $2.3 billion in goods to Colombia, but America currently faces unilateral tariffs on those products. The accord levels the playing field and creates jobs and opportunity here in the United States, he added. "Last year, Texas led the nation in exports to Colombia This agreement will remove those tariffs and allow U.S. manufacturers to sell even more goods to this large and growing market. And when this market is open, employers will be able to hire more Texans to work in good, high paying jobs right here at home."
The free trade accord is also critical to America's national security, Sen. Cornyn said. "Without a strong ally in Colombia to fight the expansion of drug cartels and terrorist-backed drug trade, global terrorism will find new financial roots with which to grow and carry out their murderous plans."
Sen. Cornyn added: "While many of those on the left have vowed to work with enemies like Hugo Chavez and to sit down with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they balk at the prospect of strengthening ties and working with our greatest Latin American ally. How ironic indeed. It would seem their willingness to pander to some supersedes their desire to restore our image internationally.' Shouldn't we be more willing to work with our friends and allies than our enemies?"
"I would hope that the Speaker of the House would reconsider and not take the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, with all of its ramifications, as merely a negotiating chip that she can use against other projects that she's interested in Why the Speaker of the House would compound that mistake and add insult to injury now by sticking a thumb in the eye to one of our greatest trading partners and ally in Latin America, frankly, escapes me," Sen. Cornyn added.
Sen. Cornyn concluded: "This free trade agreement is in the best interest of the United States. It will help create jobs here at home during the time of a softening economy, it will allow us to have a closer working partnership with one of our best allies in the region and to demonstrate to the likes of Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro that being a friend to America would produce some rewards, which is closer economic ties and a better quality of life and security for all."
--Below are excerpts of Sen. Cornyn's remarks on the Senate floor--
"It is very important for the public to understand that this is more than just about free trade. It does not coincidentally, create a market in Colombia currently for about $2.3 billion in goods and farm commodities sold by the state of Texas into Colombia. And because of a previous Andean Free Trade Agreement, actually Colombian goods coming into the United States bear no duty or tariff. But goods made or grown in Texas or throughout the United States currently bear a duty that would be eliminated by this Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Now that's important because it creates jobs and opportunity here in the United States, levels the playing field and creates a situation where Colombia and the United States could become equal partners when it comes to commerce and international trade.
"But this is important for many other reasons We've seen firsthand and heard firsthand how some Latin American leaders, most notably Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, have taken strong stances against the United States. That's one reason why it's so important that we embrace wholeheartedly our friends and allies and partners in the region. Countries that share our focus on freedom and democracy and who work with us to fight against terrorism and the spread of narcotics need our support to counter those who support, tacitly or otherwise, the spread of hateful anti-American ideology and militant extremism and criminal drug cartels.
"We must remember that if we do not stand with our friends, if we do not stay involved in Latin America, someone else will. Already, nations like China and Iran have dramatically increased their alliances and influence within the region. Not long ago, President Ahmadinejad of Iran toured Latin America, strengthening Iran's ties to the likes of Hugo Chavez and the leaders of the terrorist group known as FARC.
"Without a strong ally in Colombia to fight the expansion of drug cartels and terrorist-backed drug trade, global terrorism will find new financial roots with which to grow and carry out their murderous plans. I've had the privilege of traveling to Colombia and meeting with President Uribe personally. He affirmed to me his commitment to fight back against illegal drugs and terrorism in his own country and he expressed his sincere desire to continue to work closely with the United States. We have a chance now to further solidify that partnership with our best ally in Latin America.
"The Colombian people have heard the call to democracy and freedom and are taking it seriously. We owe it to them and we owe it to ourselves to demonstrate that the United States is a nation that they can depend on. While there is no doubt that more could be done to fully cement the principles of equality and justice, their commitment to the very same principles that we hold dear in this country is undeniable. The Colombian people deserve our firm support and it is time for the United States to enter into a free trade agreement with them.
"As I mentioned last year, Texas led the nation in exports to Colombia This agreement will remove those tariffs and allow U.S. manufacturers to sell even more goods to this large and growing market. And when this market is open, employers will be able to hire more Texans to work in good, high-paying jobs right here at home.
"This agreement will implement two-way trade and level the playing field for our own manufacturers and exporters, and create jobs here at home. At a time when our economy has suffered a bit of a downturn, Mr. President, it just strikes me as something desirable to look for ways to bolster, indeed, increase jobs right here at home. Well, this free trade agreement would be one way to do that. Open trade helps boost the economy and it is an essential ingredient to the growth of businesses, jobs and our economy in general. But despite the numerous positive aspects to this agreement with Colombia, some of my colleagues continue to fight against it.
"In any other setting, it would be comical to lay side-by-side their complaints about this partnership with their vows to work with foreign governments to supposedly improve our image in the world. While many of those on the left have vowed to work with enemies like Hugo Chavez and to sit down with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they balk at the prospect of strengthening ties and working with our greatest Latin American ally. How ironic indeed. It would seem their willingness to pander to some supersedes their desire to restore our image internationally.' Shouldn't we be more willing to work with our friends and allies than our enemies?
"Now more than a year after the President first began working with the Congress on this agreement and 90 days away from our scheduled recess, Speaker Pelosi is outraged that the President would put this agreement on the fast track and actually ask that they vote on the agreement. It is sometimes comically tragic that we compare the work we do here in Washington with the jobs that Americans do every day. Only in Congress would a three-month deadline not be enough to finish a project that started about a year ago.
"I would hope that the Speaker of the House would reconsider and not take the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, with all of its ramifications, as merely a negotiating chip that she can use against other projects that she's interested in. We've seen that happen already with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act modernizationthe failure of the House to pass that bill has left us literally deaf to emerging terrorist activity that cannot be monitored because of the failure to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Why the Speaker of the House would compound that mistake and add insult to injury now by sticking a thumb in the eye to one of our greatest trading partners and ally in Latin America, frankly, escapes me.
"I hope she would reconsider. This free trade agreement is in the best interest of the United States, it will help create jobs here at home during the time of a softening economy, it will allow us to have a closer working partnership with one of our best allies in the region and to demonstrate to the likes of Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro that being a friend to America would produce some rewards, which is closer economic ties and a better quality of life and security for all."
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