Blistering Editorials Condemn Pelosi Decision to Close Colombia Market to U.S. Goods
Boehner: "It's a Vote to Kill the Colombia Free Trade Bill"
Washington,
Apr 10, 2008 -
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ramped up the Democrats’ War on American Jobs yesterday, deciding to unilaterally close the Colombian trade market to U.S. goods and kill a bilateral trade agreement that is being counted on by American farmers, ranchers, small business owners, and other exporters who are currently being denied fair access to an important and growing South American market.
Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called Speaker Pelosi’s move a decision to “kill the Colombia free trade bill.” Following are just some of the editorials around the country condemning her decision:
“Pelosi’s Bad Faith,” Wall Street Journal editorial, April 10, 2008:
“The Democratic Party’s protectionist make-over was completed yesterday, when Nancy Pelosi decided to kill the Colombia free trade agreement. Her objections had nothing to do with the evidence and everything to do with politics, but this was an act of particular bad faith. It will damage the economic and security interests of the U.S. while trashing our best ally in Latin America.”
“Trade Talks,” Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial, April 10, 2008
“A mantra of Democratic activists is that George W. Bush -- the irresponsible cowboy gunslinger -- has destroyed America's relationship with the rest of the world. So how would the Democrats repair these tattered bonds? Apparently by stabbing our trade partners in the back.”
“Drop Dead, Colombia,” Washington Post editorial, April 10, 2008
“[T]he Democrats’ decreasingly credible claims of a death-squad campaign against Colombia's trade unionists, constitutes all that's left of the case against the agreement. Economically, it should be a no-brainer -- especially at a time of rising U.S. joblessness. At the moment, Colombian exports to the United States already enjoy preferences. The trade agreement would make those permanent, but it would also give U.S. firms free access to Colombia for the first time, thus creating U.S. jobs. Politically, too, the agreement is in the American interest, as a reward to a friendly, democratic government that has made tremendous strides on human rights, despite harassment from Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.”
“Running Scared From Free Trade,” Investor’s Business Daily editorial, April 9, 2008
“In Colombia’s case, tariffs on Colombian goods coming to the U.S. already are virtually nil. But under a free-trade deal, U.S. firms will see tariffs slashed. The U.S. will gain $2.5 billion in the first year alone — and just as recession beckons. For politicians of all stripes, this is a bread-and-butter issue that costs nothing and would be stupid to reject. … [Pelosi] knows it’s less about objecting to Colombia's human rights or labor record than it is about Big Labor and influential Democrats who have loudly condemned it. … Colombia’s pact is too important to fail. Instead of blocking a vote, Pelosi would be smarter to steal a little of its thunder.”
“U.S.-Colombia Free-Trade Pact Would Benefit State, Country,” Longview Daily News (WA) editorial, April 10, 2008
“There is no practical benefit in opposing this trade agreement – certainly none for [Washington] state. International trade largely determines this state’s economic well-being. Washington exports more on a per capita basis than any other state in the nation, according to the governor’ Global Competitiveness Council. One in three jobs in the state is supported by trade. If Washington were a country, it would rank as the 35th largest exporter in the world. What Democratic opponents of the trade agreement seem to view as a political opportunity would translate to lost opportunity for Washington and the nation, should the trade agreement be shelved. Cooler heads in Congress shouldn’t let that happen. This trade agreement is worthy of ratification.”
As a result of the Andean Trade Promotion Agreement, which passed the House in February with no opposition from Democrats, Colombian goods face virtually no trade barriers entering the United States, but American exports to Colombia still face steep tariffs. We need to give our farmers and business owners equal access to the Colombian market. Why would anyone shut down the Colombia market to U.S. goods?
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