Janice Schakowsky: “I thank you, Congressman McGovern, for your tireless commitment to promoting human rights around the world. I rise in…”

“I thank you, Congressman McGovern, for your tireless commitment to promoting human rights around the world. I rise in strong opposition to this rule and to the three pending free trade agreements. The Bush-negotiated Colombia, Panama and South Korea FTAs expand the NAFTA-style trade model that has proven destructive to the American economy and harmful to the workers in the United States and abroad. Instead of considering a jobs bill, we are instead voting on trade deals that the Economic Policy Institute estimates will eliminate or displace an additional 200,000 American jobs. In particular, I believe we should not extend additional trade privileges to Colombia without seeing significant progress on human rights. And it is not sufficient just to say, well, Colombia is a dangerous place to live. Colombia has a longstanding legacy of serious abuses; and despite some positive rhetoric by the Santos administration, we have yet to see a tangible improvement. The recently agreed-to Labor Action Plan includes language to prevent and punish abuses against labor leaders and trade unionists, but it is not legally binding or included in the FTA before us today. We need to see results before granting preferential trade treatment. Under this agreement, if violence and impunity continue, the U.S. will have no mechanism for holding the Colombian Government accountable to the promises in the Labor Action Plan. Mr.…”