Senate Proceeding on May 7th, 2008 :: 0:49:22 to 0:57:51
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0:36:42 to 0:49:22( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Christopher S. Bond

0:49:11 to 0:49:22( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: agreement. it will disadvantage america's economy, damage our reputation in colombia and latin america and damage our national security interests. mr. president, i join with my colleagues in urge ing the house to

0:49:22 to 0:49:36( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: pass the colombia free trade agreement. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from texas is recognize ed recognized. mr. cornyn: mr. president, may i inquire how long remains for more than

0:49:22 to 0:57:51( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Cornyn

0:49:36 to 0:49:46( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: business on this side of the aisle? the presiding officer: 17 minutes. mr. cornyn: i would ask unanimous consent that i be given half of that time and the senator from florida, senator martinez, be given

0:49:46 to 0:50:01( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: the remainder of that time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i want to join my distinguished colleague from from missouri in talking about the colombia free trade agreement.

0:50:01 to 0:50:16( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: last week marked an inauspicious benchmark for american companies who do business in latin america america, and there are a lot of them. since the colomb colombian free trade agreement was first

0:50:16 to 0:50:21( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: signed in 2006, 533 days ago, more than $1 billion in tariffs have been ex exacted against american companies who have sold their goods, their produce to colombia colombia. put another way, that'ss $1

0:50:21 to 0:50:31( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: billion in missed opportunity. the reason why that's a problem is because the goods that colombia sells to the united states, of which my state is the single-largest trade ing trading partner, they

0:50:31 to 0:50:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: pay no tariff or duty on their goods and so we have a decide ingly unlevel playing field when it it comes to our goods and services that are exported from the united states to colombia. it's something

0:50:40 to 0:50:52( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: they're willing to level the playing field on if we will just simply act, and 9 speaker called up the -- and the speaker called up the colombia free trade geament in the united states house of representatives.

0:50:52 to 0:51:04( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: i would think at a time when we are all concerned about the soft softening of the erican economy and jobs here at home that we would want to create more jobs produce producing goods for our farmers,

0:51:04 to 0:51:14( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: greater markets for their produce in places like latin america. but instead of that, we find that this has become a -- really more or less a chip in a high- high-stakes poker game, and it's totally

0:51:14 to 0:51:26( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: inappropriate to the responsibility we ought to demonstrate with regard to one of our best allies in latin america and america's national security and economic interests. as i mentioned, last year

0:51:26 to 0:51:36( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: colombian -- colombia bought about $2.3 billion in goods and services from the state of texas texas. this has been good for our economy, good for job creation, and, as i said, colombia has been an important

0:51:36 to 0:51:51( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: ally in fight fighting the narco terrorists, the farc in particular, who have had it their way unimpeded far too long in latin america and in particular in colombia. for more than a year after being

0:51:51 to 0:52:08( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: stalled by speaker pelosi, the president was finally left with no option but to send this free trade agreement f fast-track approval. but rather than congress doing its job, acting on this free trade

0:52:08 to 0:52:20( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: agreement on an expedite ed timetable, speaker pelosi went to the most ex extreme strength lengths to alloyed a avoid a vote on this critical agreement. speaker pelosi decide ed to rewrite the

0:52:20 to 0:52:35( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: rules and to avoid the possibility of this coming up for a vote in the house of representatives. unfortunately, this isn't the first time that politics has taken precedence our our national security

0:52:35 to 0:52:47( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: and economic interests. i would remiewndz my colleagues that we're still wait -- i would remind my colleagues that we're still waiting for the house of representatives' cooperation to enact a bill to

0:52:47 to 0:53:00( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: timely receive information through something known as the foreign intelligence surveillance act. i think it is instructive to look at this chart to see exactly what i was just referring to when it

0:53:00 to 0:53:23( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: it comes to the importance of this free trade agreement on the united states from an economic standpoint. as i indicate ed, without passage of this free trade agreement, american goods and services continue

0:53:23 to 0:53:38( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: to bear a tariff as their exported to colombia and imported into colombia. for all, it's 35%. furniture, 20%. mineral and coal, 5% to 15%. cotton, 10%. metal products, 5% to 15. computer products,

0:53:38 to 0:53:49( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: another 10%. if speaker pelosi would simply allow the colombia free trade agreement to be voted on in the house of representatives, i'm confident it would pass and this 35% disadvantage for our domestic

0:53:49 to 0:54:02( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: auto manufacturers who are suffering in these times, it would go from 35% tariff down to 0% and likewise for all the other goods that i mentioned a moment ago. this is most decide edly in america's

0:54:02 to 0:54:15( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: best interest. this is most decide edly in the best interest of a strong economy. and as i said, it's in the best interest of our national security as well. with the current state of the economy,

0:54:15 to 0:54:30( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: we have passed one or perhaps now two stimulus packages with discussion of pass passing yet another. but i continue to believe that the most effective way to jump-start our economy is to put more money

0:54:30 to 0:54:43( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: into family budgets. and one thing that's clear to me is that giving american businesses a fair path to compete in foreign markets will bring money back to the united states and back to the people, particularly

0:54:43 to 0:54:57( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: small businesses and farmers who work so hard here in america to keep our country prosperous and to provide for their families. growing business means growing wages, growing jobs, and a growing economy.

0:54:57 to 0:55:08( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: and there's no better way, i think, in these uncertain economic times to help our economy grow than to create new markets in places like latin america and particularly with one of our greatest allies

0:55:08 to 0:55:23( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: in latin america, the nation of colombia. but in addition to helping our own businesses in america, we need to consider the additional benefits of granting a meaning meaningful agreement to our strongest

0:55:23 to 0:55:35( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: latin american ally. this agreement would be a strong showing of our support for the reforms that are continuing in colombia and the leadership at great risk of president uribe in particular. when

0:55:35 to 0:55:52( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: it comes to improving its democracy, respecting the rights of all of its citizens, fighting against the drug cartels and terrorist organizations and the like. unfortunately, i think we too often

0:55:52 to 0:56:06( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: neglect our latin american neighbors, both when looking for partnerships and when identifying threats. we're well-familiar with the rhetoric of the -- of president hugo chavez of venezuela, and frankly i think

0:56:06 to 0:56:19( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: there's nothing that hugo chavez would like better than for speaker pelosi to pre prevail in her attempt to block a vote on the colombian free trade agreement. after all, venezuela is a next- next-door

0:56:19 to 0:56:32( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: neighbor and hugo chavez, who's been host to president ahmadinejad of iran and who has made himself the en mi of the united states, has to be enjoying this blocking of this free trade agreement because

0:56:32 to 0:56:45( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: he can say to president uribe and like-minded democracies in latin america, this is when you get when you cooperate with the united states. that's exactly the opposite message that we need. we need

0:56:45 to 0:56:58( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: a message that when you cooperate with the united states in terms of developing your democracy, opening your markets to our goods and produce and services, when you cooperate with the united states

0:56:58 to 0:57:12( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: to fight narco traffickers and to bring peace and stability to our country, we will be your strong strongest ally and we will be your best friend. and what the message, unfortunately, we see being sent

0:57:12 to 0:57:24( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: by speaker pelosi is that rather than treating the nation of colombia as one of our best friends in latin ameca, they are being demeaned into being treated as nothing but a poker chip in a high-stakes

0:57:24 to 0:57:40( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: game of cards, and it's just not right. mr. president, i would yield the floor. mr. martinez: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from florida is recognized. mr. martinez: how much time

0:57:40 to 0:57:51( Edit History Discussion )

John Cornyn: remains in morning business? the presiding officer: nine minutes. mr. martinez: thank you, mr. president. i want to follow on f the comments of my colleague from texas, whoho apartment aptly spoke

0:57:51 to 0:58:05( Edit History Discussion )

Mel Martinez: about this. the difference in tariffs is tremendous. now at the same time that american -- what does it mean to the american worker? it means if an american worker is manufacturing something that is

0:57:51 to 1:04:31( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Mel Martinez