Speech #1100061741

We have already spoken many times in this House about the flaws in the new trade deal recently announced by the administration. This new deal. which applies to the Bush negotiated Free Trade Agreements with Peru and Panama. is an improvement over past FTAs. but it still doesnt give American families much to be excited about. quite honestly. Despite additional labor and environmental provisions. these agreements are based on the NAFTA trade model. the same failed NAFTA model that has hurt the American family for the past decade. the same NAFTA trade model that didnt bring about the jobs or the prosperity that we were promised. the same NAFTA model that didnt stop the immigration flow from Mexico. the same NAFTA model that hasnt been able to assure that our trading partners uphold the strong labor and environmental standards that we do here in the United States. thus putting our workers at a competitive disadvantage. If the longsoughtafter labor and environmental. protections the administration promises to include in the Peru and Panama FTAs are no stronger than those that we were promised in NAFTA or its cousin CAFTA. they are little more than hollow promises. Yet the FreeTradeAtAllCosts lobby asks the American people to have faith that the administration has really turned over a new leaf.