John Spratt: “the Andean Free Trade Preference Act expires in December; and if all we were talking about was the extension of the…”

“the Andean Free Trade Preference Act expires in December; and if all we were talking about was the extension of the bill, it would be a simple matter. Most of us would vote for it. But this Andean Free Trade Pact extension is also an expansion. It goes far beyond simply expanding the free trade pact that has been in existence for the last 10 years. First of all, for the first time it extends duty-free, quota-free access to textile and apparel imports from four countries, the Andean countries. Secondly, it takes this bill which needs to pass in December and piggybacks on to it wholly gratuitous concessions to sub-Saharan African countries, 22 of them, who last year got substantial concessions in the African Growth and Opportunity Act. And then it extends a third time substantial concessions to the Caribbean countries, 24 of them. So we have really got three trade-expansion bills wrapped up in one. If it were just the Andean Pact we were talking about, it would be simple; but the problem is it goes much further. Mr. Speaker, over the last 15 years, we have liberalized trade and textiles and apparel again and again and again.”