Gary Hart: “I rise in support of the Dominican Republic- CAFTA agreement. Our colleagues have discussed a lot of issues regarding…”

“I rise in support of the Dominican Republic- CAFTA agreement. Our colleagues have discussed a lot of issues regarding CAFTA: whether it is important to our national security and whether it will help those countries to grow and become more secure and prevent some illegal immigration into the United States. But one of the most important things about this agreement is that it is good for American business. I do not know about my colleagues, but I am for agreements that help our manufacturers, and what I have discovered is that the manufacturers in my district will benefit from this agreement. In fact, a significant portion of them either currently export or want to export to those countries. But currently, there are heavy tariffs placed on their products when they arrive in Central America, making those products more expensive to the purchasers there. This agreement will remove those tariffs and make American products more available to those who wish to purchase them in Central America. Now, my question is, how can that be bad for American business? It is not. It is good for American business, and anybody who is thinking about growth in our economy should support the CAFTA agreement. ____________________”