Carol Shea-Porter: “I am pleased as Speaker Pelosi decided to assert Congress' power over international trade by waiving ill-advised…”

“I am pleased as Speaker Pelosi decided to assert Congress' power over international trade by waiving ill-advised fast-track rules, and I hope the decision to waive the 90-day deadline for a vote on the Colombia FTA will effectively kill the agreement. This is not a good idea at this time. Colombia has not proven that they are capable of providing the human rights that the people of Colombia so desperately need. Passage of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement would greatly diminish our Nation's reputation as a leader in the fight to end human rights abuses worldwide. Like the Peru agreement which preceded it, the Colombia FTA is based on the flawed NAFTA-CAFTA model which also led to the outsourcing of millions of high-paying American jobs. This comes at a time when our own country is in a recession and experiencing unprecedented job loss. All around, this is not a good idea, and I hope that we will kill this.”