Political Quotes

“I rise to oppose CAFTA for the reasons I stated earlier. It seems logical to say that if we want to expand our export markets, we should be negotiating with countries who have a more sizable market for our goods and greater buying power to purchase our goods. However, these CAFTA countries account for only 1.5 percent of U.S. exports. Illinois is an agriculture State. I have supported prior trade agreements because of the benefit they have provided to agriculture. However, estimates that passage of CAFTA will produce sizable trade gains for U.S. farmers are overly optimistic. CAFTA countries have a combined population of approximately 31 million people who generally have limited incomes with which to purchase agriculture products. In fact, the market is only worth $1.6 billion in annual agriculture products. According to the most recent data, the U.S. supplied 94 percent of all grains imported into the six CAFTA countries. This domination means there is little room for further upward growth in grain exports to CAFTA nations. I believe in international trade, provided it is fair trade and can expand our economy and create jobs. But I have concluded that this trade agreement will not do that. It is merely another product of this administration's failed trade strategy--a strategy that has victimized American manufacturers while costing millions of American workers their jobs.…”