Posted on 07/27/2005 9:07:49 AM PDT by GPBurdell
Bush Lobbies Republicans on CAFTA Bill
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 55 minutes ago
In a rare piece of lobbying on Capitol Hill, President Bush appealed personally to fellow Republicans Wednesday to close ranks behind a free trade agreement with Central America that faces a very close floor vote.
The House was beginning debate on the Central American Free Trade Agreement later in the day, with a vote coming as early as Wednesday night. With Democrats strongly against it, passage depends on keeping Republican defections to a minimum.
The president reminded Republicans that while some might oppose CAFTA for parochial interests "we are here not only to represent our districts but to represent the nation," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said after the meeting that lasted more than an hour.
DeLay predicted a tough vote, but "we will pass CAFTA tonight."
DeLay said the president may have won over one unidentified Republican when he noted that Central American countries have contributed troops in the war against terrorism.
Bush, who has invested considerable time and effort to winning approval of CAFTA, was accompanied by Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record) at the closed meeting of House Republicans. It isn't unusual for presidents to press their agendas with members of their own party or the opposition party, but they usually do it at the White House.
Bush's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, said Bush planned to address other issues likely to come up as Congress rushes toward summer recess, including major energy and highway legislation.
Finding GOP unity on CAFTA could be crucial if the trade deal that the administration signed a year ago with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic is to survive.
The Democratic leadership, in a notice Tuesday, reminded lawmakers that "this will be an extremely close vote, and attendance is critical."
The Senate approved the pact last month, but the House, with Democratic opposition and a large group of opposing or undeclared Republicans, is a harder sell.
The agreement would eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers on U.S. exports to the six nations and increase protections for investment and intellectual property. Democrats say CAFTA, like past free trade deals, will lead to a loss of U.S. jobs while doing little to prevent the exploitation of Central American workers.
Republican opposition stems from the jobs issue as well as concerns that the agreement will hurt the U.S. textile and sugar industries.
Bush in recent months has held a summit with the leaders of all six CAFTA nations, met individually with dozens of lawmakers and given speeches to Hispanic and other groups promoting the deal, which he argues will also benefit U.S. national security by shoring up Central America's fragile democracies.
His administration has also had some success in swaying undecided Republicans with side deals offering protections for sugar and textile manufacturers.
Groups on both sides of the issue held news and telephone conferences Tuesday to press their case.
"Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said at a news conference with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and representatives from pro-CAFTA Hispanic groups. "And there's nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law."
Rep. Hilda Solis (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said CAFTA was "a bad deal for Central Americans and also for Latinos in this community."
"I can tell you that the exploitation of workers will continue in Central America," Solis said.
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On the Net:
U.S. Trade Representative: http://www.ustr.gov
Buzz
Buzz Blog
Where is the evidence? All I see are people leaving Mexico to come here because the economic situation still stinks in Mexico.
"One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called `weasel words.' When a weasel sucks eggs the meat is sucked out of the egg. If you use a `weasel word' after another there is nothing left of the other.
-- Theodore Roosevelt
CAFTA: Can Plutocracy at Home Produce Democracy Abroad?
Why CAFTA Will Not Improve Central American Security and Stability
Write or call your representative today. I know I did, Michigan cannot afford another hit.
The United States Democratic Republic is supposed to be a government for the people and by the people.
Unfortunately our elected officials, beholden to money, often get things confused and think that our country has a people that are by the government and for the government.
Look at DeLays idiotic comment; We must forget our districts and think of the country.
With DeLays logic you can overlook your constituents and vote to have a people by the government and for the government.
I find myself more and more in agreement with the Democrats of Colorado. That is a strange thing for me to say having been a lifelong Republican.
CAFTA contains language that will hinder our ability to enforce our immigration laws in the future
CAFTA will ultimately kill America
imo
Gooooo CAFTA!!
That's not exactly true, is it? Why have a House?
Mr. President, our representatives are to represent those who voted for them not international corporations that no longer claim to be American.
Trade is 'we buy from you' - 'you buy from us'. That is win-win.
Now all we do is export jobs and the dollars to buy America. That for us is 'lose-lose'.
Vote out CAFTA supporters. I yield the balance of my time.
"We must pass CAFTA to improve the economies of our southern neighbors."
That was supposed to happen with NAFTA wasn't it? Is this a "pay us off or we'll turn commie" deal? Or maybe it's just a "I own a trans-national company and want more cheap labor" deal.
If Bush has his way on immigration we'll have most of them up here and on welfare before you know it.
CAFTA is socialism not capitalism.
well said
Since NAFTA passed in 1994 the employment level in the US has increased from 124.6 million (Jan 1995) to 141.6 million (Jun 2005), real GDP has increased 38% (2004 annual vs. 1994 annual) , and the average annual unemployment rate has been below that of 1994 every year since then. I'd say it has been a success.
Yes, NAFTA has done wonders in that regard.
NAFTA has not raised the standard of living for our southern neighbors and I don't see CAFTA doing it either.
This is treason.
Bush is destroying the country, just as several wise Freepers, now long banned, said he would.
He sickens me.
January 1995 Governement Employment 19,397,000
June 2005 Governement employment 21,754,000
It has increased in absolute terms, but decreased as a share of total employment.
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?ce
That's our "Two-Party Cartel". The elites own it.
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