Rae Oliver Davis: “Thank you, Chairman Brady. I appreciate you organizing a Special Order tonight dealing with these critical free trade…”

“Thank you, Chairman Brady. I appreciate you organizing a Special Order tonight dealing with these critical free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. I am encouraged that the President sent the agreement to the Hill earlier here today, and we are here to lend support to the President for these agreements and to encourage him to implement them as soon as they pass the House and Senate. Passage of these trade agreements is long overdue and critical not just for our national economy, but also for our national security. Through the Colombian agreement, we signal our dedication with a strategic and faithful ally. During my service in the U.S. Army, I ran U.S. Army aviation operations for the multinational force and observers in the Sinai, providing direct support and serving jointly with the Colombian military in the Middle East. In fact, they continue to serve in that same role. They are also serving in Haiti, Sierra Leone, and training militaries and police in counternarcotics and counterinsurgency measures across the globe. U.S. leadership in our hemisphere is under threat from competitors, and the administration's inattention to Latin America is a real challenge that we are facing now. But the Colombia agreement signals our reengagement, which is critical to both our economic and our security future. U.S. exporters' share of Colombian imports fell 17 percent between 2001 and 2009, while Chinese exporter shares nearly tripled.…”