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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 109 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 109 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 109 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 151 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005 No. 90—Part II Senate DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-CENTRAL ter of process and substance, in pro- pass—legislation that would address AMERICA-UNITED STATES FREE tecting workers’ rights and interests. these issues. That is the reason I will TRADE AGREEMENT IMPLEMEN- My colleague, Senator BINGAMAN, men- be voting against CAFTA when it TATION ACT—Continued tioned some of those concerns. comes up later today. I recognize that we should not kid The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- There are real problems in the agree- ourselves into believing that voting ator from Illinois is recognized. ment itself. It fails to uphold the prin- against free-trade agreements will stop Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, I ask for ciples set out in previous trade agree- globalization, especially agreements approximately 10 minutes. ments that say we must give equal pro- like CAFTA, where the countries in- Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, may tection to the rights of workers and volved have combined economies one- I ask my colleague to yield for a unani- the rights of commercial interests. But sixth the size of the State of Illinois. mous consent request? CAFTA, while encouraging the protec- Globalization is not someone’s polit- tion of commercial rights, does less to Mr. OBAMA. I yield for that purpose. ical agenda. It is a technological revo- Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask protect labor rights than some of the lution that is fundamentally changing agreements that we have already unanimous consent that the order of the world’s economy, producing win- speakers be as follows: Senator OBAMA, passed. So there is a sense that we may ners and losers along the way. The be going backward instead of forward. 15 minutes from the time of Senator question is not whether we can stop it, Nor does CAFTA do much in the way of DORGAN; Senator BROWNBACK, 15 min- but how we respond to it. It is not enforcing environmental standards in utes from Senator GRASSLEY’s time; whether we should protect our workers these countries. Senator COLEMAN, 15 minutes from from competition, but what can we do I recognize that no piece of legisla- Senator GRASSLEY’s time; Senator to fully enable them to compete tion is perfect, and if it were just these CORZINE, 10 minutes from Senator DOR- against workers all over the world. GAN’s time; and Senator BURR, for 10 That brings me to the problem. So provisions, perhaps I could do what my minutes from Senator GRASSLEY’s far, America has not effectively an- colleague from New Mexico has done time. swered these questions, and American and obtain a letter of agreement from The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without workers are suffering as a result. I the White House, indicating they will objection, it is so ordered. meet these workers all across Illinois— try to address some of these problems. The Senator from Illinois. workers whose jobs moved to Mexico or But the real problem is more than Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, as the China and are now competing with CAFTA. It goes beyond the four cor- previous speaker, I rise to speak on the their own children for jobs that pay $7 ners of this piece of legislation. The Central American Free Trade Agree- an hour and offer no health or pension real problem is what is missing, gen- ment. benefits. In town meetings and union erally, from our prevailing policy on I have thought long and hard about halls, I have tried to tell these workers trade and globalization: meaningful as- this agreement, and I come to the floor the truth—that the jobs they have lost sistance for those who are not reaping predisposed to support free trade. In are not coming back; that globaliza- the benefits of trade, and a plan to the end, I believe that expanding trade tion is here to stay; and that they are equip American workers with the skills and breaking down barriers between going to have to train more and learn and support they need to succeed in the countries is good for our economy and more to get the new jobs of the future. 21st century. for our security, for American con- I don’t mind delivering that message. So far, almost all of our energy and sumers and American workers. But when these same workers ask me almost all of these trade agreements On the margins, I recognize that exactly how are they going to get their are about making life easier for the CAFTA, although a relatively modest training and their education, and when winners of globalization, while we do trade agreement by the standards of they ask what will they do to pay for nothing for those who find their lives the U.S. economy, would benefit farm- their health care bills in the interim, getting harder as a consequence of ers in Illinois as well as agricultural and how will they deal with lower trade liberalization. In 2004, nearly and manufacturing interests across the wages and the general sense of finan- 150,000 workers were certified as having country. The language in the agree- cial insecurity that seems to be grow- lost their jobs due to trade and were ment is also optimal with respect to in- ing every single day, I cannot look thus eligible for trade adjustment as- tellectual property and telecommuni- them in the eye and tell them honestly sistance—and that number doesn’t cations, issues that are of particular that their Government is doing a single count the janitors and cafeteria work- interest when it comes to trade with thing about these problems. ers who may have lost their jobs. other countries, such as China. Unfor- Since I have arrived in the Senate, I Senator WYDEN and others have tried tunately, CAFTA falls short, as a mat- haven’t seen us debate—much less to encourage the Administration to ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S7697 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 21:50 Jan 30, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2005SENATE\S30JN5.PT2 S30JN5 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S7698 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 30, 2005 modernize this assistance and expand globalization into a single trade agree- Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, on it to displaced service workers, but the ment. But what I do expect—and I said this beautiful day in Washington, DC, Administration refuses to help on this this directly to the President when I we are about to create some great op- issue. met with him in the White House on portunities for Kansas farmers, Kansas But even beyond displaced workers, this matter—is that we at least have, manufacturers, and opportunities of our failure to respond to globalization on a parallel track, an effort to deal hope for people in Central America. is causing a race to the bottom that with the losers in globalization, our That is to me what this CAFTA bill means lower wages and stingier health displaced communities and displaced represents. I do not want to oversell it. and retiree benefits for all Americans. workers. We must not only look after I do not think it should be oversold. I It is causing a squeeze on middle-class profits and shareholders, but also those do not think it is a panacea for democ- families who are working harder but folks who are adversely affected by racy building or opportunity in Central making even less and struggling to trade. Lower prices are good and im- America. I do not think it is a panacea stay afloat in this new economy. portant, but we also have to make sure for all my farmers and manufacturers I recognize the soundness of the eco- that jobs exist that provide people the in the State of Kansas. But I do think nomic argument that free trade re- opportunity to raise a family. it is a little more good in the world, a duces overall prices in this country. Mr. President, in order to compete, little more good for opportunities for But as one downstate worker told me every single one of us is going to have people in the United States, lowering during a recent visit back in Illinois: to work more, think more, train more. tariffs and trade barriers in our neigh- ‘‘It doesn’t do me much good if I am I am not afraid of global competition, borhood, in this region of the world, a paying a dollar less on a t-shirt, but I and I don’t think a single American little more good and opportunity for don’t have a job.’’ worker is afraid of it. We cannot insu- economic chances and opportunities in So now we have to choose. It is a late ourselves from all of the disloca- Central America and the Dominican choice that is bigger than CAFTA and tions brought about by free trade, and Republic, chances that do not exist bigger than our trade agreements. It is most of the workers don’t expect Wash- today, chances that are not doing well one that America has faced time and ington to do so. On my side of the aisle, today in Central America, chances that time again in our history, and we have we cannot resort to protectionist lan- are hurting the spread of democracy, responded.
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