but it falls far short from doing so. first, there has not been meaningful collaboration with a colombian union to make sure the action plan is being implemented thoroughly. second, the attorney generals office, according to the human rights watch, hasn't made any progress in investigating the murder cases over the last four years. ensuring that murder investigations are conducted and completed and the real killers are brought to justice is a critical component of protecting our union brothers and sisters in colombia. so far the government hasn't done it. and third, employers continue to force workers into collective pacts so they cannot form unions. by passing this f.t.a., congress is blessing this lack of rights and this long standing trend of violence. we are choosing to stand in solidarity with a government that can't protect its own people, instead the people who need the protecting.

i urge my colleagues to think about it. the fact, if they had a card like this and if they were a leader in a union in colombia they would be a target. we should not reward this country's disregard for basic rights with an f.t.a. i urge my colleagues to vote no on the rule and vote no on the colombian free trade agreement. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, i yield myself 30 seconds to say that it's obvious that colombia's not a safe place. i'm not claiming that at all. and there have been murders that have taken place there. it still is -- still is a very dangerous spot. but it's important to note that a mr. gomez who is the leader of one of the three main labor organizations in colombia has said that the labor agreements included in this package are the single greatest achievement for social justice in the last 50 years of colombia's history.

we still have a long way to go, mr. speaker. we still have a long way to go. but progress is being made. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, at this time i yield two minutes to the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. defazio: this is momentous. we're finally talking about jobs on the floor of the house of representatives. and the united states of america is number one. let's have a little enthusiasm. we're number one. we're number one. and we want to make certain that we continue that status. what are we number one in? we are number one in exporting jobs to foreign lands. over the last 20 years.

every day we lose 1,370 manufacturing jobs because there are failed trade policies and guess what? these agreements are duplicates of all failed past trade agreements. now, the chairman of the committee says we're going to have lengthy debate and we will dispel misinformation. well, the first misinformation is that we're having a lengthy debate here on the floor of the house. 4 1/2 hours for three trade agreements, 270 minutes, boy, i a -- boy, a lot of time. not exactly like we're burning the midnight oil around here or working five days a week. couldn't we have a little more time? fast track would have allowed for 20 hours on each of the two fast track agreements. so that would have been 40 hours. no, we're going to have 165 minutes by the proponents to dispel the misinformation and 105 by those of us who are opposed to these job-killing trade agreements. that's fair. 165 on their side, 105 on our

side because their arguments are honest -- our arguments are honest and theirs aren't. that is how things break around here. that's clengy debate. let's talk about colombia. in colombia the average income is $3,200. think of all the u.s. manufactured goods those colombians are going to buy with $3,200 of income. whoa. thousands of americans go to work. does that remind you of the myth about nafta? no, this is about yet one more platform to get an access of abused labor, unorganized labor under colombian law, to provide -- to send goods back to the united states of america. mr. mcgovern: i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. mr. defazio: i thank the gentleman. and then there's the issue of, yes, we will get some moring a kilt exports. insignificant to our industry. won't employ any americans. may employ some more people who are in this country to harvest the crop.

but it will cut dramatically into the principle form of employment in colombia. there will be a 75% drop potentially in rural employment in colombia and where will they turn? the noted economist says they will turn from traditional farming and farming for their own economy to growing coca. so not only are we going to facilitate the collapse of their agricultural economy like we did mexico, we're going to facilitate the drug lords with this crumby agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say to my friend that we have been debating this issue since the negotiations began in 2004. time and time again on this house floor we've had very rigorous debate on these agreements. and i will acknowledge we do have problems with job creation and economic growth. what this measure does, mr. speaker, is it eliminates the barrier for union and nonunion workers and farmers in this

country to have access to new markets. on august 15, on august 15 colombia, because we have done nothing, i yield myself an additional 0 seconds, mr. speaker. on august 15, because we have done nothing, our colombian friends negotiated a free trade agreement with the canadians. with our good friends to the north, the canadians. and guess what, mr. speaker? in literally one month there was an 18.5% increase in canadian wheat exports to colombia. this is the kind of opportunity that we've been prevented from having and we've been debating this for five years. it's high time that we vote and that's exactly what we're going to do, after hours of debate, both tonight and tomorrow. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i yield myself 25 seconds. to respond to the gentleman from california. he mentioned a labor leader in his remarks before as saying how wonderful the labor action plan was. i should point out to him that

last monday, october 3, that same labor leader joined a press conference to express his frustration with the colombian government's failure to implement the labor action plan. i would also point out that the colombian labor school also has issued a -- launched a statement about how the colombian government has failed to enact labor action plans. i don't care what the canadians do. the united states of america, we're supposed to protect human rights. i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from illinois, ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized for three minutes. . ms. schakowsky: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you for your tireless commitment to promoting human rights. i rise in strong opposition to this rule and three pending trade agreements. the bush-negotiated agreements

expand the nafta trade model which is destructive to the american economy and harmful to the workers in the united states and abroad. instead of considering a jobs bill, we are voting on trade deals that the economic policy institute eliminates will eliminate or displace 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 long-standing legacy of serious abuses and despite positive rhetoric by the santo administration, we have yet to see it. it includes language to punish abuses, but it is not legally binding or nor is it included.

we need to see results before granting preferential trade treatment. under this agreement, if violence and impunity continues, the u.s. will have no mechanism for holding the colombian government accountable under the labor action plan. human rights abuses are not just a thing of the past in colombia. recently published statistics show that colombia is still the deadliest place in the world to be a trade unionist with 51 murders in 2010. 25 trade unionists have been murdered so far in 2011 and 16 since this labor action plan wept into effect. and this cycle of violence is going to continue because the colombian government has made little progress towards prosecuting perpetrators and ending impunity. the action plan reward promises, not progress.

mr. speaker, the considering of any trade deal with colombia is inappropriate until we see tangible and sustained results. as the afl-cio president has said and think about this, he has said, quote, we have no doubt that if 51 c.e.o.'s had been murdered in colombia last year, the deal would be on a very slow track indeed, end quote. i urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the three under hiring trade -- underlying trade agreements. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say that my friend from illinois is absolutely right, colombia is not a safe place, but we have seen an 85% reduction since 2002 in the murder rate among trade unionists.

it is not perfect and still a dangerous place but that is progress. i would like to say to my friend to worcester, mr. gomez is still in support of the free trade agreement that he mentioned in his remarks and he voiced frustration over the implementation of agreements. that is something that takes place in a free society. implementation of this will help with that enforcement. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: my privilege to yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, ranking member on the ways and means committee, mr. levin. mr. levin: the bush administration negotiated three flawed f.t.a.'s. it violates a fundamental principle of sound overall trade policy two-way trade.

it locked in auto trade, the source of three-quarters of the american trade deficit with korea. last year, urged by congressional democrats, they have opened up the korean market for auto products made in america. these changes would not have happened if the republicans continually insisted the f.t.a. had passed as originally negotiated. panama f.t.a. originally negotiated by the bush administration failed to carry out another key provision of sound trade policy incorporating international standards and worker rights. congressional democrats and the obama administration successfully worked with the government of panama to correct these flaws and also took the necessary, concrete steps to change its role as a tax haven. the colombian f.t.a. fell far short of addressing the

long-standing concerns about the specific challenges in colombia to worker rights and the persistence of violence and impunity. the obama administration and the new santos administration undertook the importance of discussions culminating in an action plan relating to labor rights. there remains shortcomings in the plan's implementation. given congressional republican insistence, it is completely lacking any link in the implementation bill to the action plan necessary to assure its present implementation and future enforcement actions under the f.t.a. in view of those conditions, i oppose the colombia f.t.a. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: may i inquire of my good friend and rules committee

member how many speakers? mr. mcgovern: mr. mcdermott and then we'll close. mr. dreier: i have a couple of speakers. and let me say -- how much time is remaining on each side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 7 1/4 minutes remaining. the gentleman from massachusetts has 4 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. mcgovern: i will reserve. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, at this time, what i would like to do, i mentioned the bipartisan nature of this and to stress that and being the only one who will yield time to democrats, i yield 2 1/2 minutes to my very good friend and a man with whom i spent time in colombia on numerous occasions, the the gentleman from car mel, california, a peace corps volunteer, mr. farr.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farr: i look forward to this debate. i lived in colombia and i have a different perspective. we have to put it in perspective, latin american market is important. if you take brazil, mexico and colombia, they equal the entire european trade and exceed the trade with japan and china. it's a very important market. colombia is a country that you heard a lot about, particularly on crime and big drug production and a lot of crime, killing of labor leaders, but colombia is one of the few countries in the world that keeps track of crime against people who happen to be unionists, not necessarily they are killed because they are unionists, but because they are killed and happen to be a member of a union. we don't do that in the united

states. come yeah has set up a separate minimumes try to put judges, prosecutors, investigators, everybody in place in every single one of the departments in colombia. we don't do that in the united states. colombia has created a protection system for unionists, including people who want to form unions and advocate for unions, teachers and retireys of unions who may be threatened. we don't do that in the united states. they have set up a hotline, full disclosure and do it anonymously, email in or call in anonymously to the government reporting any violations. we don't do that in the united states. there are a lot of issues we ought to recognize. but most of all, we have to talk about this as american jobs. we sell a lot of things that we make here in america to colombia. let's take catter pillar, for

example. canada has adopted a free trade agreement. europe is about to adopt a free trade agreement with colombia. our goods will be more expensive in colombia and they won't buy from us. they will be buying heavy equipment from europe and from brazil and canada, countries that have entered into a free trade agreement. let's preserve american jobs. this is a huges porters. it's the number one country to export produce to. let's have the debate. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts. the gentleman from california? mr. dreier: i have another speaker and i'm going to close. mr. mcgovern: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington from the committee on

ways and means, mr. mcdermott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, in my district, one out of three or maybe one out of four people make their job some way in relationship to foreign trade, either directly through the seaport or through the companies that operate in my district or district of eastern washington. all of us in seattle know that trade is not bad if it's done right, and that's really the issue that we're debating here tonight under this rule, which i support. two of the agreements that we have before us, korea and panama, are examples of doing it right. the bush administration went in and signed agreements that were flawed and in fact were held up and then were renegotiated andr in my opinion, a good place for

the trade issue for these two countries. we rejected those flawed agreements because we wanted to do it right. now with the new rewritten agreements. in panama's case, it is no longer a tax haven. it was the best tax haven on the face of the earth before. we have a trade agreement and implemented tax agreement that will make it transparent and no longer let it happen. unfortunately, colombia is a glass that you can hold up and say is it half full or half empty. there are problems and many of us have been resistant to this for a long time and i will resist tonight because, and most importantly, colombia has moved. they made beautiful speeches. speeches don't change anything. my old friend, ronald reagan,

who admired greatly said trust, but verify. when republicans refused to put into this trade agreement that the work action plan would be included, they sent the message, we're not serious and that's why you are going to get so much opposition. i urge the adoption of the rule and debate the issues later. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. dreier: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognizeed for two minutes. mr. meeks: while we have -- meek meek

mr. meeks: >> and we have moved forward and trade is never just about economics but our relationships with other nations, our allies, about strengthening the rule of law and deepening ties. a report a recent report by the council of foreign relations said it well, trade has been a major strategic instrument of foreign policy and binds together countries in a broad and economic network that constitutes a bulwark against conflict. let me talk specifically about the colombia free trade agreement. many of my colleagues have talked about the violent past in colombia and having traveled extensively in colombia, i can tell you personally that colombia is not what it used to be, far from it. even if it is not where it wants to be just yet, there has been major progress in colombia and this has been with a tremendous

amount of cooperation with and between our great nations. the agreement with colombia certainly has its many economic benefits for america. we are leveling the playing field for american business. but beyond that, what i want to emphasize the role that the agreement plays in strengthening the rule of law. the agreed-upon action plan between the obama administration and the santos administration brings about important changes that labor groups in colombia have sought to so lid file for years. several labor organizations have made statements about the importance of the action plan. one of the federations lauded the action plan saying it is one of the results of advancement of labor and guarantee of freedom of association and the federation and others have stated that this action plan will continue to fight against impunity. .

i am pleased to say that just last month the obama administration announced that colombia has fully complied with its commitment under labor action plans, that the same time the state department has also notified the colombians meeting statutory criteria for human rights and the call for obligations of the u.s. assistance funds for the colombian armed forces and i thank the gentleman for yielding. let's pass this agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts has 2 1/4 minutes. the gentleman from california has 21 fourts minutes -- 2 1/4 minutes. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, congress was right in refusing to take up the colombia f.t.a. when it was signed in 2006. supporters of the f.t.a. now talk about those years as colombia's dark past but they supported the f.t.a. then just

as they do now. the house was right to block the f.t.a. in 2008, supporters then ex tolled the virtues of the government, but colombia's new attorney general has revealed hind boggling corruption in every agency of the government. criminal acts were the norm. i believe the santos government is colombia's best chance to bring about much-needed reforms and institutional change. i want him to succeed. but goodwill is not enough. we've had promises before. we need times to see if good intentions result in concrete change of labor and human rights. this is tito diaz. he was a mayor. in 2003 he denounced the links between public officials and paramilitaries. for this he was tortured and murdered. his body was found strung up like a crucifix, shot 11 times, his fingernails ripped out, his knees plungened and his i.d. card taped to his forehead. his son carried on his father's work, leading the victim's movement. he survived four assassination attempts but finally fled the

country. others took his place. since 2006 five more victims rights leaders have been murdered. two this year. this is reality for colombia's human rights defenders. 29 of whom have been killed this year. 51 priests murdered in the past decade. six so far this year. in this violent reality, colombia workers attempt to exercise their rights. i ask my colleagues, think about the lives, all the brave labor leaders, human rights defebbeders, religious and community leaders, do not turn your backs on them. demand concrete change on the ground before approving the colombia f.t.a. you know that that is the right thing to do. if the united states of america stands for anything we ought to stand out loud and foresquare for human rights. let's remember that as we deliberate on the colombia f.t.a. it is just wrong to rationalize or explain away the human rights situation in colombia. we are better than that. we should demand more on behalf of the workers and the human rights defnders in colombia. vote no on the rule and vote no

on the colombia f.t.a. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized for 2 1/4 minutes. mr. dreier: i yield myself the balance of the time. mr. speaker, i'd like to get the debate back to where it was. we have before us four pending issues. we have trade agreements with colombia, panama, south korea and we have the very important trade adjustment assistance. mr. speaker, our fellow americans are hurting. job creation and economic growth is something that democrats and republicans alike are talking about. i was listening to the words of one of the protest leaders up in new york and this guy was saying that the protests are about economic and social justice and he said, working class americans can no longer be ignored. now, mr. speaker, this measure that is before us, according to the international trade

commission, will create 250,000 new jobs here in the united states of america. i argue that if we had had these agreements in place, the pain that so many of our fellow americans are feeling at this moment would not be as great as it has been because for half a decade, half a decade these agreements have been languishing, waiting to be considered. now, the last two speakers i yielded to happen to be democrats. i'm very proud of working -- having worked closely together with sam farr and gregory meeks on these agreements. there are lots of other people who have been involved and worked tirelessly for years. over the last two decades i've had a working group that i started with former ways and means committee chairman, bill archer, going all the way up now to working with dave camp and kevin brady and wally herger and others. democrats have joined with our bipartisan trade working group because there are democrats and

republicans who want us to get back to the bipartisan approach to our global leadership role. they want to open up markets around the world for the united states of america and with passage of these three agreements, mr. speaker, we're going to have access to $2 trillion of economic activity and 97 million consumers. mr. speaker, we need to support this rule, we're going to have debate going into this evening and we're going to have debate throughout the day tomorrow. the finance committee chairman and senator max baucus.

it is an hour. >> the meeting has come to order. >> the meeting will come to order to consider the trade agreement. the committee will consider more trade nominees. john quincy adams once said

patience and perseverance have a magical effect. but for which, difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. our free trade agreements with colombia, panama, and south korea are at the end of a long journey. they have faced difficulties and obstacles along the way. thanks to the patience and perseverance of many, we overcame them. we are now giving our final approval to these agreements, which will create tens of thousands of american jobs. they will give our -- that will give our ranchers, farmers, and workers fast- growing markets. they will increase u.s. exports by $13 billion. they will boost our gdp by more than $15 million. they are what our economy needs right now.

the journey of these agreements began during the bush administration, negotiated for open markets for american manufactured goods. in 2007, congress continued good journey when they negotiated the may 10 bipartisan trade deal, which amended these agreements to include as strong as labor and environmental protections of any free-trade agreements in the world. after their agreements were signed, obstacles remain. american ranchers, workers, and businesses still could not compete in a level playing field. labor conditions in colombia had improved but problems persisted. serious concerns remain about tax evasion and money- laundering in panama. president obama and his administration work with congress to tackle these problems. the improved access for u.s.

beef to promote beef sales in korea and committing to remove unfair bidders, and negotiated at labor action plan with colombia to protect workers and workers rights. we signed an agreement with panama taught to improve. -- to improve. on the one more hurdle remained, renewing trade adjustments. trade adjustment assistance gives them the job training and income support that they need to find employment. since 2009, nearly 450,000 american workers have been eligible for the trade adjustment assistance. more than half of them have found new jobs. >> i am orrin hatch and ask those in the audience to refrain -- i am going to ask those in the audience to refrain from disruption.

actionave to take other if it continues. please to not disrupt the proceedings. trade adjustment assistance has been a pillar of american trade policy for five decades. it has broad support. but the program expired in february. congress has never voted to approve a trade agreement, much less free, without the worker protections in place. without trade adjustment assistance, congress would not pass the trade agreements. in june, a negotiated agreement with my good friend, david kamp, chairman of the ways and means commitment, renewing all the core provisions of trade adjustment assistance. we approve the agreement with 69 votes. it remove the last obstacle and allow the president to submit that trade agreements to congress for no one has worked harder to get them passed an

american farmer. one we farmer in montana left his farm in the middle of spring planting to testify about the colombia free trade agreement. utah was that american farmers are losing the colombian market to other countries. they have signed their own deals with colombia. but there is nothing if not patience and perseverance. if we approve the colombia fta, our farmers will recapture this vital american market. finally, we cannot forget the patience and perseverance of our fda problem -- partners. i visited colombia and visited with his cabinet and labor leaders and businessmen and

women. i sought a country healing from the wounds of war, expanding economy, turning land to poor farmers and compensating victims of violence, and i saw the country's slowing the flow of illegal narcotics. in just 10 years, colombia has moved from being a failed state to being a leading nation in the hemisphere. despite this process -- [unintelligible] the meeting will come to order. comments from the audience are inappropriate. there is a time and place for everything. there is a time for demonstrations, there are a time for statements. [unintelligible] any further disruption will cause the committee to recess until the police can restore order.

despite the progress we have made with colombia, the approval of the fta was very much in doubt at the time of my visit in february colombians were deeply concerned, but i gave my word that they would move forward together or not at all. including passage of the trade adjustment assistance. today, their patience and perseverance has paid off. the committee is also considering the nomination of four nominees to david they have shown uncommon patience and perseverance. michael punke has been nominated to be a deputy u.s. trade representative. islam siddiqui has been nominated to be the chief backer

got from negotiator. . piquado to be an assistant secretary of commerce, and david johansson to be a member of the u.s. international trade commission. i strongly support each nominee. i hope the senate will act quickly to confirm them. today as we take a major step toward to a defense america's trade agenda, let us remember the words of john quincy adams. let us see that difficulties disappear in the face of patience and perseverance. but as approve the free-trade agreements with colombia, korea, and south korea -- panama, and south korea and boost jobs here at home, and less favorably report these four nominees to carry out our trade agenda. >> i agree with the four nominees, and nine years ago, we provided president bush with

trade authority vary the use that to negotiate 11 trade agreements with 16 countries. including the three we are considering today for the first agreement with chile and singapore have grown. it is to $15.3 billion. prior to in 1997, nine more were negotiated, providing unprecedented access to american exports. in 2007, not a single new trade agreement has been negotiated or peru. the three pending agreements ready for a vote languished and frankly, as a democratic congress place to new demands of our trading partners, new demands for their consideration spirit we of almost it still in done nothing all other countries raced ahead and seized our

market share around the world. in a time of economic uncertainty, this failure to act by the administration remains a shocking. from 2005-2010, u.s. trade surplus surged from 1 plus $7 billion to $24.5 billion, excluding oil. in contrast, our trade deficit with the rest of the world remains stubbornly high over those years. despite the many obstacles thrown away, we in our trading partners persevered and soon we will complete the work begun so long ago. the games -- the games are long overdue. are far too many people to thank for getting us here today, so let me know my appreciation for the efforts of chairman baucus and his staff and expediting these fta's in the finance committee on the senate floor. it is no surprise that the american people do not hold

congress and the highest, and yet it is worth recalling that while the present waited almost three years before finally submitting these fta's, congress will act in a matter of days to quickly consider them and hopefully get them across the finish line. i would also like to thank all the u.s. steel our negotiators to afford tirelessly and travel around vote world to negotiate agreements for the approval of these three free-trade agreements will enable u.s. exporters if the finally take advantage of these benefits that our negotiators secured over four years ago. these countries maintain a high tariff barriers to our exports, while most of their exports enter our market with little or new duty. the approval of the trade agreements will provide fairer access for u.s. exporters for the will also alleviate the unfair advantage that many of our trading patterns such as canada and the european union have gained in these growing markets while we stood still and

failed to act. finally, approval -- [unintelligible] >> i like to advise the public that disruption in the form of signs an outburst will not be tolerated. if they continue, i'll ask the committee to stand in recess until the order can be restored. if i may yield, i think it is preferable that those of different points of view tuesday, but it is preferable that those who stayed do not indulge an outburst during a proceeding. if those who stayed to indulge in alberta, i have no choice but to call the committee to order and have it stand in recess until the police can restore order. >> thank you, mr. chairman. approval of these agreements will cement our alliance with three key partners. each of whom deserve our continued support. let's start with colombia.

at second ago, colombia was close to becoming a poster child for -- >> the committee will stand in recess until the police can restore order. >> traded cream unskilled jobs. trade agreements kill u.s. jobs. colombia is killing trade all but -- trade unionists all the time. shame. shame. shame. trade agreement skilled jobs. trade agreements kill jobs. >> shall i finish? >> go ahead. >> let's start with colombia. it was becoming a poster child for the failed nor the state. thanks to the leadership of key colombian officials, the store is very difficult to date. the economy as a growing, employment is up, and violence

has markedly discouraged institutional reforms are creating a stronger and more vibrant democracy. land reform and reparations for victims of advance in an unprecedented effort to heal the wounds of the past. the united states provided important support for colombia. this approval will reaffirm our support for colombia and its long battle for the commitment rule of law as well as new market export -- access. it is one of the fastest-growing economies in latin america. panama is a new land for workers and entrepreneurs around the world. panama's commitment to open markets and fiscal transparency secures its place as one of the financial hubs of the world. with the approval of our free trade agreement with panama, the analysis is the opportunity to provide significant new access to u.s. -- u.s. businesses and workers to this economy. south korea is one of our

strongest allies and as our fourth largest export market of the world. approval of this high standard trade agreement will serve as a model for trade agreements in the region, and reaffirm our commitment to strategic trade in the asian region. each provides important benefits, but at the end of the day, much more is at stake. but the past five years, the position of the united states in trade liberalization has weakened. it is led many to doubt with the united states remains serious about addressing the world lost economic challenges and whether we can count on to deliver on promises. with the approval of these three free-trade agreements, we can begin to take the first test for rebuilding our image as a global leader on trade, all of the same time providing much-needed economic opportunities to u.s. workers and job creators eurozone. if i am also pleased that we will consider our trade

nominations today. i greatly admire the willingness of these individuals to serve and hope that they will be quickly confirmed by the u.s. senate. mr. chairman, i thank you for your leadership on these matters. i am prepared to go ahead. >> thank you very much, senator. any other senators that wish to speak, i wish it that you would hold your comments. will go back and forth. democrats, republicans. >> mr. chairman, collins, i'll be brief. as chairman of our trade subcommittee here at the finance committee, it has become evident that there is ongoing significant demand for american goods and services around the world. we have a chance to the that demand and faded with american exports. what that means -- to feed that

demand with american experts. we can grow things here, making things there, add value to them here, and then ship them all over the world. that translates into a family wage jobs for our constituents. i want to make one point that it is indisputable with respect to this trade debate. certainly there are a lot of differences of opinions with respect to trade. but there is one fact that is indisputable. indisputable. and that is that our markets are overwhelmingly open two countries are around the world -- to countries all around the world, and there are significant barriers or are remarkably close to a spirit that applies agriculture, it applies to -- closed it to us. that applies agriculture, it

applies to other products. i will go through some of the differentials but i will cite one. oregon exports of beef face a 40% tariff upon our arrival in korea. the korean be on the faces a terror of 4% when it arrives in the united states. -- at jerez of 4% when it arrives in the and that is -- tariff of 4% when it arrives in the united states. our workers can get more out of us and those around the world really afford to working with our colleagues on a bi-partisan basis. i yield the rest of our time. [unintelligible] >> the committee will stand in recess. until order can be restored. [unintelligible] you should be ashamed of

yourselves. >> the committee will be in order. to overrulem going myself. next is senator stabenow. >> thank you, mr. chairman. with the free-trade agreements we have, i will support zacharia, but oppose colombia and panama. when south korea was first time, i strongly opposed it because it did not do enough for american manufacturing, particularly automobile manufacturers. i appreciate the work of the obama administration in renegotiating the auto provision to ensure that american automobiles will be allowed of and access into south korea. i appreciate the fact that you listen to the concerns of workers and the companies regarding that. with my chair of the

agricultural committee hat on, south korea is our fifth biggest market for agricultural imports. 67% of products will enter into south korea duty-free as a result of this. but they do continue to oppress their workers for the administration tried to address this through their labor action plan, but unfortunately was not included in the agreement during i believe that without it, we have no way of ensuring that colombia will follow through on its commitment. it is still a dangerous place to work. if you want labor leaders were assassinated last year. so far, 23 labor leaders have been assassinated. it is an issue that affects american workers because they are undercut when the wages of colombian workers are kept artificially low due to the denial of basic worker rights.

[applause] finally on panama, panama has a history of allowing businesses to establish subsidiaries in panama to evade taxes. panama has not yet shown in my judgment that they will no longer be a tax haven. a panamanian agreement would require waiving of requirements for procurement bids. they also had a history of the nine basic worker rights. mr. chairman, i would finally say that as we enter into what will be three new agreements and we have more than 300 trade agreements right now, we still have the smallest trade enforcement office of any industrialized country, according to former u.s. tr mickey kantor. we need to have someone to focus

specifically on trade enforcement. last week as part of the fight against currency manipulation with china, we introduced an amendment that would create a chief trade enforcement official. i still believe very strongly that we need that. the majority of our ustr is focused on creating jobs but not in forcing them. it is important for our businesses and workers to have a level playing field. the bottom line for me is that we want to export our products and not our jobs. thanks very much. >> senator menendez. >> thank you. i want to first thank you for your tireless commitment to ensuring that the extension of trade adjustment assistance, as we're talking about these trade agreements, that that in fact is moving forward for americans who lose jobs as a result of trade.

while the argument has been made that these fta's may create 70,000 american jobs, the benefit of trade are not uniform or not everyone will benefit from these agreements. i find it morally wrong to look at an american and say, simply because of our trade agreement, if you happen to be the victim of economic displacement, and you are on your run. that -- you are on you own. i appreciate the chairman making that a reality. it reflects the complexity of trade policy and the need to take care of our own hard- working americans who may lose their jobs due to trade. mr. chairman, i intend to support the panama and caribbean agreement, but i will oppose the colombian agreement because of ongoing labor violence in the

country, and because the agreement does not underscore the importance of that issue. i have been one of the strongest supporters of colombia as a member in the house international relations committee, on the western hemisphere subcommittee. i've been one of the strongest supporters of colombia as a matter of this -- a member of the senate's foreign relations committee. it is made great progress in rooting out the drug cartels and has a mayor -- and has emerged as a stronger democratic nation. it is lending its expertise to other countries threatened by the surge of narcotics trade. it is to be applauded for all of that. however, i ask unanimous consent that today's ap article be included in the record. a human rights watch study found virtually no -- it canada

six convictions obtained by a special prosecutions unit from 195 crowns, with nine in 10 cases in preliminary stages with no suspect formally identified. colombia is the world's most lethal country for labor organizing, and the killings have not stopped. at least 38 trade unionists have been slain since the president took office in august 2010. that is according to the national labor school. convictions have been obtained for less than 10% of the 2886 to trade unionist killed since 1986. less than 10% for the rights groups have found severe shortcomings in the special units that are supposed to be pursuing this. i'll ask unanimous consent so that i do not read the entire article. >> without objection.

>> during the markup hearing, i had offered as part of an effort to be in a position where i could have supported the colombia plan, the colombia labor action plan is a positive step toward addressing labor violence in colombia, and was hoping that the reporting requirements would have been included in the implementing legislation. i thought to do that during the markup. i would of sought language that would have required the resident to report to the congress annually on the implementation and enforcement of the colombian labor action form -- plan by the government it would have been consistent with reporting requirements and other fta's. nafta also provides precedent for the inclusion of reporting requirements. i'm disappointed that night to

the labor plan no. reporting requirements for the plan are included in the implementing legislation to ensure that colombia's labor leaders are not forgotten. that was crucial. as we have seen, if you are a labor leader in columbia, you are likely to die. it is because of that that despite my admiration for how far colombia has come, i cannot in good conscience support the colombia labor -- free trade agreement. >> thank you. >> in discussing these labor proposals, the free-trade agreements with some of our labor leaders in delaware, the one thing that we talked about a month ago and even this week was how we get into a situation where the united states allows other countries to sell their goods and services here without

impediment? whether cars in korea or other things, they sell them here and we do not have many barriers. but when we tried to sell our goods and services there, they erect barriers. why is that? one has learned in drilling down, to go back to the end of world war ii. for the strongest economy on earth and we were the 800-pound gorilla in the room when it came to trade. just about anything you can think of. other countries, in an effort to protect their markets began to erect barriers to keep out goods and services. as time goes by, they have gotten to be a lot better and stronger competitors. frankly, the time has come to level the playing field. but the president has tried to do is to say, came over.

-- game over. we're tired that after all these years, your country is trying to keep our promise of, whether they happen piccard's, chemicals, poultry, or financial services, we are tired of keeping ourselves out. we do not try to stop selling your products here, and it is time for you to cut it out. that is the bottom line of what is going on here. someone asked me in a conference call today, how do we know that this is going to work? at the end of the day, what we need to do is stay on it and make sure that it is being implemented. the president says on colombia, if the implementation plan is not fully implemented, that we will not implement the free trade agreement. he has been about as blunt and direct as he can be. forever one raising a concern about the death of a labor leader, a teacher, or a judge in

colombia, one death is too many. the idea that we feel better because the numbers are down to as low as 25, one death is too many. it is important every remain vigilant and make sure that the colombian government knows that we fully expect them to comply with that implementation plan. we will not go away and they need to know that. >> thank you, senator. senator roberts. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and i want to thank you as well as other members who have expressed their support on the perseverance and for your efforts in behalf of these agreements. the information that i have, the three free-trade agreements had up to $13 billion in additional exports, 250,000 jobs.

i would also say that under the trade agreements, the exports from colombia and panama have already come in duty-free for years under a variety of preference programs. what these agreements merely do his level the playing field and address some of the concerns of my colleagues have about extending the same benefits to u.s. producers and exporters who i think the answer is obvious. these will decrease direct exports for ranchers and farmers and create an additional 1150 jobs. delays are not without consequence, and there has been a lot of delays. my colleagues have addressed some of the problems. right now some 100 plus trade

agreements with the united states. i am going to take the time to thank the senator for his diligent efforts as the subcommittee chairman, and i want to associate myself with your remarks. >>. congress is on the coast of passing historic trade legislation, and this is not a moment that reflects well on congress, the and ministration, or the country. for four years, our trade competitors have enacted agreements while we have

yielded. the rest of the world has been busy creating trade alliances. if ever there were a self- inflicted wound, this is it. for years, a bipartisan majority has been ready to help our exporters find opportunities. that is why it is truly a shame we have had to face this delay in the united states. i have with concern seen days ago that the president has put another apparent roadblock in the way of implementing the colombian agreement. this despite repeated confirmation from u.s. trade representative curt that colombia has met its obligations. here we are at the next-to-last step, but for support for these

men has never been in doubt. i have an extended statement going over each of these agreements, and i would request that they be made part of the record, but i would say the consideration by the finance committee has a long and interesting history. i appreciate the chairman's efforts to get us to this point, because i know you have been supportive. it is time the administration and members of congress remember that this sets up benefits our nation. good i appreciate the fact you have moved as quickly as you could once the opportunity has presented itself. >> thank you very much.

i also appreciate your leadership in the way these have been handled. trade is critically important. it is an important economic part of our state, and we want to see our courts busy, so having a balanced trade agreement to us is very important. i will not support the columbia free trade agreement, and i will tell you why. some of the best things in history is when we stood up for human rights and use trade as a way of advancing human rights. i see it trade is an important

tool we have. in colombia the human rights report said killings, military collaboration, forced disappearance, mistreatment of detainees, arbitrary detainment, illegal surveillance of civilian groups common occasional erastus end -- harassment, violence against women, including rape, societal discrimination, illegal child labor, and the list goes on. i want to point out that the board also knows that the santos demonstration has made strong advances in improving the environment. my concern is we did not incorporate the kinds of changes

in this agreement that we should. that is why i offered an amendment that would have codified commitments of the colombian labor action plan within the body of the agreement to make sure it is acted on. i agree with a common center fernandez made. i am disappointed in the administration. for those reasons and others i will not support a colombian free trade agreement. [applause] >> like everyone, i am very pleased you have worked hard to get us to the point of bringing these agreements forward. as we hear important voices in

america talking about jobs across the country, i think it is important to look at the four corners of these agreements and take a hard look and read them, because these agreements are one-sided in our favor. they opened up markets that are close to us and open up a playing field that has been unequal against us for a long time. i urge people to look at it. these agreements create jobs for americans, and the tariff cuts alone is going to increase them -- increase exports of american tourists by $10 billion. those represent jobs for america, and we will not have those jobs if we do not have this agreement. the panama agreement also

guarantees access to a billion dollars service, and to address our concerns with banking laws we thought were not fair to us, they have amended to deal with anonymous accounts. they help us with accountability, but the most controversial is the colombian agreements, and i am sympathetic but the comments of two valuable members of our committee, there is no stronger voice in these things, but there can be differences of opinion, even as we all acknowledge there are

continued problems, but a lot of us have pushed for a long time on columbia's efforts to institute a strong ministry of labor. that has been one of our goals. recentlys government passed a measure requiring the executive to create one by the end of next month. has it accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish? no, but it is moving, and most people use phrases like now cautious optimism to describe the last year in colombia. you can look at it both ways.

if we do that, we will lose all leverage. no reason for anyone to believe the united states is important, because they keep moving at great risk. this is a country where 12 and now for 13 members of the supreme court were assassinated when a gunman just walked in and shot everyone, a country where presidential candidates were assassinated, and people have taken great risks. the president has championed reform such as the victims lot and land in restitution law.

they have been selective, but they have finally taken on some high-profile human rights abuses. do they need to do more? you bet they do. are believed the best hope to have our relationship and to be able to leverage the things of interest is to help their society be able to stabilize and grow, and if they do not have some efforts, i think they can do that. colombia has come back from the brink of being of failed state. in our efforts to address an incredibly toxic brew, illicit

money, guns, narcotics, contras friends -- contraband throughout the region, a time we found all of this. we have seen an incredible transition taking place, and i am voting for the future. i am voting for the idea that colombia is qualified as fragile and cautious because these advances could easily unravel, and i think it is critical with the passage of this agreement that we will be taking steps that increase our leverage, increase the chances of a better outcomes and will hopefully allow us to address the abuses that continue, and that is worth investing in. >> senator who can well, you are next. >> i am submitting a statement

for the record. >> i congratulate you on your hard work for these three agreements. let me raise some issues, the issue of arent and from resources in the u.s. trade representative's office to a actually support this. i think it is clear we do not fund the office. i think it is clear there are too few people to enforce the agreements we have entered into, and now we are going to be substantially understaffed.

i tried to suggest we should include something to recommend that we request additional funds. that was considered out of order. i believe it is imperative we make a point to the appropriations committee and the house and senate that they need to give more resources to the general counsel. frankly, i think they are understaffed and overworked right now, and i know the senator thought the failure to bring these ford was a self- inflicted wound.

i think the failure to accurately staff and resources the trade office is a self- inflicted wound, which we continue to perpetuate. i think it is shortsighted. i will stop with that and let you get on with thrust of the statement spirit of region rest of the statements. >> it has been over four years since these agreements were signed, and i am pleased we are where we are, and on august 15, canada entered into an agreement with columbia. canadian wheat exports have increased. i think that is what it means for american agriculture, and i think it is clear you cannot stand still on trade. we have to move forward or the

rest of the world will move forward without us. i know i join most of my colleagues when i say i look forward to the passage of these bills and what it can mean for american exporters, for jobs in this country, and those are all things many of us want to see happen, so i am anxious to get these things moving, and i look forward to voting on this. >> we welcome the south korean ambassador and panama's ambassador. thank you very much for being here, and we are honored to have

you. on july 7, the committee held a meeting. on october 3, and it was substantially similar to the draft bills. and we may not amend and the bills. we start with a bill to amend the colombian agreement. thank you for your presence. at this point i would like mr. smart to walk through any modifications at this point. mr. smart, why don't you be

extremely short. we will allow the senators to ask any question before we allowed a final vote. unless you want to walk through. i discouraged about. >> -- i discourage that. >> that was a great walk- through. >> are there any questions? >> i have one question i want to establish. during the mock up, i offered an amendment to require the president to annually report on the implementation and enforcement of the colombian labor action plan. i understand this requirement is

consistent with reporting requirements in naphtha region -- in nafta. is that true? >> there are general requirements. we will do so with respect to these three agreements as well. cracks were there not specific requirements of the adult with -- >> were there not specific requirements that dealt with labor? >> there were specific new requirements to get dealt with that agreement. it pertains to that. >> there is a president. what is the administration's position on providing the labor report for the colombian action plan? >> the labor action plan contains ongoing reporting

between the government. most of the requirements would need to be fulfilled before the president has to determine when it will come into affect, so he will take that into account. he made that explosive three times. the president intends to take that into account. beyond that, there are periodic meetings between the u.s. and the government, and also, there would be the opportunity to be in dialogue and to report triggered >> there would be an opportunity but there is no ?pecific obligation bowma >> i want to clarify the point after the president has

made a certification, and is putting a lot of pressure on the president to move forward, there is no precedent within the agreement for failure to comply. >> the agreement does not contain a formal mechanism. they relate to the core labor standards. >> i am referring only to the labor agreement itself. >> if there is no further debate, i entertain the motion. all those in favor say aye. >> aye. >> roll call has been requested.

good call the roll. >> mr. rockefeller passed. >> mr. conrad, aye by proxy in. [calling votes] >> mr. schumer: no. mr. crockearper, no. mr. hatch, aye. mr. grassly, aye by proxy. mr. kyle, aye by proxy.

mr. crapo, aye. mr. coburn, aye by proxy. mr. burr, aye by proxy. sherman votes aye -- chairman votes aye.

the tally of the members present is 12 ayes, 3 nays. >> ayes have it. next is the panama on bill. i see no questions. senator hatch has made the motion. all those in favor com, say aye. ayes have it. the next order of business is our final free trade agreement.

we considered the south korean agreement. unless there are questions i suggest we go straight to the vote. it has been moved. all in favor, aye. ayes have it. we will next move to our trade nominees. i entertain a motion that they will favorably report. >> so moved. >> ayes have it. one final moment to address our audience. clearly, all of us want to create jobs. anyone that does not know about now lives under a rock. we all want to create jobs.

it is the most important effort. we know these trade agreements also engender a motion -- emotion. the main point i want to make is we have our great country and we got free speech. good it is the cornerstone of liberty in this country, and i deeply respect the first amendment. all of us wish to speak out, and , i urge allorward carme that, so i thank

all those attended today, and the committee is adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> the obama administration accused two men of the plot to assassinate the saudi ambassador to the u.s. the defense secretary warned lawmakers of some of the $450 billion in pentagon budget cuts over the next 10 years could affect military projects in congressional districts. his remarks are coming up, and later, chris chris the endorses mitt romney's run for presidency. -- chris christie endorses mitt romney's run for presidency. >> i've felt all along when this matter was properly submitted to the people they would readily see it held no place in our constitution. >> he served as governor of new york four times, though he never

attended high school or college, and i'll smith became the first catholic nominated by a major party to run for president. he is still remembered by an annual fund-raiser for various charities. al smith is one of the 14th man featured in our weekly series, "a contenders'." -- "the contenders." >> we will get an update on the plot to kill saudi arabia's ambassador. then the arizona congressman will talk about the ongoing congressional investigation into the justice department's fast and furious program, and later right heard jesse ellison talks about the survey of countries and the treatment of women

around the globe. >> it has been almost three years since a small group from the fraternity proposed building a memorial to honor dr. kean. what the dedication of the martin luther king jr. national memorial. by federal authorities uncovered a plot to kill the saudi arabian ambassador to the u.s. sent to bomb a sardine embassy according to eric holder. the attorney general announced the charges against studeman linked to the iranian government. this news conference is -- against two men linked to the iranian government. now this news conference is 20 minutes. >> good afternoon.

today the department of justice is alleging charges against two people behind a plot to assassinate a foreign ambassador here in the united states. one is accused of devising a system targeting the saudi arabian ambassador to the united states. they are alleged to have orchestrated a $1.5 million assassination plot. this is a unit of the revolutionary guard corps. it is also suspected of attacks

in iraq and was designated by the department of treasury for giving material support to the taliban and other terrorist organizations. this alleges that it was directed from around, a flagrant violation -- from iran, a flagrant violation of international law. in addition to holding these conspirators accountable, the united states is holding a run accountable for its actions. one has been in custody since september 29, 2011.

not according to the complaint, they met with a confidential informant posing as an associate with the drug trafficking cartel. the meeting was the first of a series that would result in international conspiracy by elements of the iranian government to pay $1.5 million to murder the ambassador who according to documents filed today in court. those complaints were approval to assist with the wiring of $100,000 into a bank account inside the united states as a down payment for the assassination. he has confessed to his participation in the alleged plot as well as provided other valuable information about the

iranian government's role. the disruption of the plot marks a significant achievement by intelligence agencies as well as close cooperation of the government triggered by want to commend the of standing work of agencies involved as well as -- the outstanding work of agen cies involved a. they work hard in new york to monitor this alleged conspiracy, maintain valuable information, and bring one of the primary plotters to justice. i will give it over to muller.

>> borders and boundaries are increasingly irrelevant, and though it reads like the pages of a hollywood script common and the impact would have been real, and many lives would have been lost. these individuals had no regard for intended victims, and no regard for innocent citizens who may have been hurt or killed. they had no regard for the rules of law. with these charges we bring to the full weight of about ball to their on those responsible -- to bear on those responsible. this was not a typical case for any of us, but it represents the

full range of threats we face, and it illustrates the need for an continued collaboration between agencies, departments, countries. it bears repeating. it is only working side by side that we are able to stop plots like this before they can take hold. we will continue to work together to find and stop those who seek to do us harm, whether they seek to strike overseas or here at home, whether it is a conspiracy to kill a foreign official on u.s. soil, a terrorist attack on united states citizens, or st. crichton and in our united states communities. >> thank you very much. i want to echo the remarks of the attorney general and others today they gain in -- thanking

those involved. this is a significant milestone. the facts of shed light on assassination plot that was conceived and sponsored by elements of the iranian government thanks to a coordinated law enforcement effort, we were able to penetrate and thwart a plot before it could result in harm to the ambassador or anyone else. i want to thank the men and women from the counterterrorism section for their efforts in helping to shepherd this case and for their efforts in the extensive coordination required to rise at today's result. now this case more than any in recent memory involved incredible collaboration. were it not for the hard work of

our many partners, we would not be standing here today. i want to thank our partners in the u.s. attorney's office for their expensive and hard work on this matter. i want your acknowledge the work of prosecutors in houston u.s. attorney's office and the joint task force. they deserve a special condemnation for obtaining information on those behind it. i want to thank the intelligence community for its critical role in this matter. the national security division and was designed to serve as a place where intelligence and law enforcement come together. i am proud to say we served that purpose here. this case demonstrates how the division is supposed to work and should serve as a model for future cases.

>> thank you. as has been described, the complaint reveals a well-funded and pernicious plot but had as first priority the assassination of the saudi ambassador to the united states. they had no concern concern about inflicting mass casualties. the confidential source noted there could be 100 people to 150 people in a fictional restaurant where the requested bombing could take place common and including possibly members of congress. the lead defendant said no big deal they were ready and willing

and able to carry out their plan, and it did not stop there. the assassination was intended to be the opening act in a series of attacks by their cohorts in iran. our work is the product of a collaborative effort of monks agencies but share a commitment to keeping america saves. i want to commend director muller for extensive work, and

the assistant director in the new york office. i also want to thank the issues in office for their important role in the investigation, and finally, i want to acknowledge the dedicated workers in my office, the deputy u.s. attorney, and the acting chief of the criminal division during your -- criminal division. none of us have gotten much sleep, and we are safe because of it. we need to make it clear we will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground. >> when you say you are going to hold around accountable, what do you mean by that -- hold iran

accountable, what do you mean by that? >> they will be taking further action, which we will be making known over the next few hours. gov >> to what degree are you saying the iranian government is implicit? what exactly are you saying? >> reorganization i reference -- the organization are reference is a component of the iranian government. we say this was directed and approved by senior members of the iranian military, hyatt officials in those agencies -- high officials in those

agencies. >> are you saying the iranian government knew about this? >> we are not making that charge. >> what is the understood motivation to? >> we are restricting our comments to those we were charged. >> were there any charges to be brought in d.c.? brought in a lot of districts. i reported there was a $100,000 down payment on the legend and now assassination attempt. >> besides the wiring of money, what were the other i sent noma

-- what were the other acts termina? >> the complaint suggests a s.uple of overt act superio the entire time this was being investigated, it was under the guidance of the fbi and other agencies. no one was ever under any actual danger. >> since the subjects trouble back-and-forth, can you tell us how they were involved -- travel back-and-forth, would you tell us how they are involved hamas -- how they are involved?

>> i do not want to go into too much detail, but it is significant, and i do not think it without it we would have accomplished what we did today. >> are there other references -- are there folks who are expected to have a partner in the united states said you are looking for? >> [inaudible] >> as the iranian man no the restaurant company -- know which restaurant? how is the other persons still at large? >> i do not think it is appropriate to comment on the second question.

for the first question, there was never actually and identified restaurant. it was the way in which the confidential source was providing information to people paying in this assassination plot and the way he was setting upon what was requested of him after the payment was made. >> can you elaborate what kind ?f attack this was >> it is not a very long document. there is a discussion about the way in which the assassination attempt would go off, and i think there is a discussion about the best way to do it, whether it should been indoors or outdoors, and at some point

there is a discussion of using explosives devices. >> this culminated with two hikers. is there any discussion with the state department? this case was brought as the facts dictated. we had been at this for a number of months. our colleagues were on this matter in respect of of what was going on. -- in respective of what was going on. they have been notified and were reacting as wanell.

>> were there others that were in danger? dirksen i think one has to be concerned about the nature of what the iranian government attempted to do, and one thing the state department will be doing is getting in touch with other allies around the world. >> i have to ask you about the investigation. the report is they are preparing subpoenas on the hill. they need top officials in the justice department. apparently they do not believe your testimony. >> we sent thousands of documents to the hilt. what i want the american people to understand is set it will not

detract us from the justice department reopened -- justice department. >> [unintelligible] >> next leon panetta of lines of defense plan to cut from the budget. he spoke of the wilson center and is introduced by the president of the wilson center. this is an hour. goo>> good afternoon.

we are delighted to welcome you to the second lecture we celebrated the replacement of a huge statue of woodrow wilson said had been destroyed in 1941. wilson is widely said to of provided crucial support for czech independence at the end of world war roman wini. the base of its statute says, the world must be safe for democracy. that resonates. the confluence of challenges bozos and exponentially it more dangerous threats to democracy. leadership is needed everywhere, and surely at the helm of the department of

defense. not only was panetta confirmed 100-0 as defense secretary -- but my intel is he even has a record of 5 vote signed by every senator. it is priceless. a master of the federal budget process, he chaired the house budget committee, served as clinton's chief of staff, and as omb director. he is intimately familiar with the workings of capitol hill and the white house and respected by republicans and democrats alike. a former army intelligence officer with an impressive work.

it would be secretary panetta's voice i would want to hear on the other end of the line should come.00 a.m. phone call as a recovering politician, i know too well how paralyzing gridlock in congress has become, how difficult it is to operate in the shrinking center, where i still believe the best policies are made. that was why i am pleased to welcome secretary panetta. i've brought a problem with me, something i displayed before the. it took a crane to get it down here from the eighth floor.

you should recognize it. is the award for bipartisanship. [applause] that i received in 2008 for my work in congress. i think this may hold all of the bipartisanship left in washington. woodrow wilson also said, my dream of politics all my life has been that it is something we go to each other to understand and to discuss with absolute frankness. we worked to create the same political space to foster discussion of tough issues before us and june 4 urged an old bipartisan solutions.

-- and to forge old bipartisan solutions. this is his first major address as defense secretary. thank you for honoring us with your presence. no doubt the secretary will thank women and men who serve in our intelligence and defense services, many of whom served in dangerous places around the world. their services are essential and unmatched, and protecting them must be a top priority. i want to thank one other person, my fifth child, who ably served as my council on the house intelligence committee for

five years and has been chief of staff at the cia and now at dod. you have been well-trained, and we expect magic. secretary panetta, the decisions you make our life or death, but i am extremely confident that president obama has chosen the right person at the right time for the huge task ahead. please join me in welcoming a good friend, a fellow californian, and the 23rd u.s. secretary of defense, the hon. leon panetta. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you very much, jane, and

you are not going to did jeremy basch back. thank you for the opportunity to be able to present this lecture. in particular, thank you for your introduction, but more importantly, for your leadership. i want to thank you for the commitment to serve this nation that you have demonstrated throughout your career. as an outstanding member of congress in my home state of california and now as president of the woodrow wilson center, you end sydney always represented the best in citizenship and the best in a commitment to america. i am also pleased to be able to

participate in his lecture series named in honor of my dear friend lee hamilton. i had the privilege of working very closely with lee during my time in congress and the clinton administration, and then i had the opportunity of working with study a member of iraq's group. his leadership on issues of national security, his tireless efforts to insure our government through necessary lessons from the 9-11 attacks, and took the steps necessary to make sure that would never happen again. i think it has rightfully earned lee hamilton of place among the greatest statesmen of our time.

it is appropriate at the theme of this lecture series is civil discourse on democracy, because over the course of lee hamilton's extraordinary career, lead development a reputation as someone who speaks honestly about his views. it is in the spirit i come here today to share my views on the challenges, the threats, the choices, and the risks and opportunities facing the united states and the institution insurance with defending the armed forces.

the wilson center has brought for this event a large number of familiar faces, many of some strategists and leaders in the national security arena. i am reminded of a story i often tell of the nobel prize winner in california and who was giving exactly the same lecture on a very intricate area of physics law. one day as he was heading towards fresno, the chauffeur ethylene buyer instead, -- the chauffeur lean back and said, i have heard that so many times i

think i can give it by memory myself. the professor said, let me put on your chauffeur's uniform, and you put on my suits. they do not know me that well in fresno, and you give the lecture. the show forgot up before the standing room audience, spoke and got a standing ovation. .

laid on the table. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is

recognized for one hour. mr. dreier: for the purpose of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to my good friend from worcester, mr. mcgovern, and yield myself such time as i might consume and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. mr. speaker, during consideration of this measure, all time yielded will be for debate purposes only and also, i would like to ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker, that all members have fivelegislative days within which to revise and extend their marks on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman recogni dollars. mr. dreier: on november 6 of 1979, ronald reagan annound his candidacy for president of the united states. and in that speech he saw an accord of free trade among the americas. he wanted to eliminate all barriers for the free flow of goods, services and produc among all of the countries in

this hemisphere. on october 3 of 2011, president obama sent three trade agreements to capitol hill f consideration. it's been a long time -- i mean 32 years, i guess this coming november 6, which we will mark the anniversary of presidt reagan announcing his candidacy for the presidency which he saw this accord and been a difficult struggle to get here, but, mr. speaker, today marks the first step in this last leg of what, as i said, has been an extraordinarily lengthy journey towards passage of our three free trade agreements with colombia, panama andouth korea. for four years, workers and consumers in the united states and in all three f.t.a.

countries have waited for the opportunities that these three agreements will create. republicans and democrats alike and let me underscore, republicans and democrats alike have worked very hard to bring us to this point. we have done so first and foremost for the sake of job creation and economic growth. we are regularly hearing discussion on both sides of the aisle about the imperative of creating jobs and getting our economy on track. the president of the united states delivered a speech here to a joint session of congress in which he talked about the need to pass his jobs bill. and mr. speaker, this is a very important component of that proposal that the president talked about when he was here. as i hear a great deal of discussion about lack of willingness on capitol hill to address the president's jobs bill, it's not an all or nothing thing. we are taking the important

components that the president is proposed to addressing and we have worked in a bipartisan way and this measure before us is evidence of that. we've done, as i said, passage of these agreements will allow us have the opportunity to create good jobs for union and non-union americans, who are seeking job opportunities. together, mr. speaker, these agreements, these agreements will give u.s. workers, businesses, farmers access to $2 trillion, $2 trillion of economic activity and we will, mr. speaker, our workers, union workers and non-union workers, people across this country, will have access to 97 million consumers in these three countries. now, president obama in his address here made it very clear and has said it repeatedly the independent international trade

commission has said that in the coming months, we willdd a quarter of a million new jobs right heren the united states of america. again, union and non-union jobs and independent international trade commission has projected we will see a quarter of a million, 250,000 new jobs for our fellow americans seeking job opportunities. jon to explain to anyone in this place why this is so critical for our ailing economy. but those of us who have joined together to finally pass these agreements are working towards something that is even bigger. we are working to restore the bipartisan consensus on the issue of open trade. mr. speaker, eradicating partisan politics on the debate of economic globalization is

essential to move our quest forward. these three agreements are enormously important, but, mr. speaker, as you know, there is still much work that remains to be done. i understand that the opponents of economic liable ralization are very well inextension tensioned and i don't fault fl. we are in the midst as we all know very well, deeply troubling economic times. and it's easy and we want to point the finger of blame and trade is a natural target. i often argue that i have constituents in southern california when th get a hangnail they blame north american free trade agreement on that hangnail. this is a natural target for frustration. and i know there are people who believe that passage of these trade agements, which according to the i.t.c. would create 250,000 new jobs right

here in the united states of america. . . trade is the wrong argument, mr. speaker. the worldwide marketplace, as we all know, is a big, dynamic and complex operation. it offers tremendous opportunity for those who engage in tremendous peril for those who follow the isolationist path. those who innovate, who aggressively pursue new ideas and new opportunities are able to compete and succeed. the u.s. has proven this, mr. speaker, time and time again. the americ entrepreneurial spirit has enabled us to not just succeed but as we all know we are the largest, st dynamic economy on the face of the earth. these agreements will allows us to reaffm and strengthen that. we all know this, mr. speaker,

our country, the united states of america, is th birthplace of google and facebook, of ford and i.b.m., of caterpillar and whirlpool and of coca-cola and ebay. unfortunately over the last several years while the three free trade agreements have lange wished, the united states of -- languished, the united states of america has stood still. we have let our competitors to chip away at our market share. if we compete, mr. speaker, if we compete the united states of america wins. if we compete we win. but what happens when we take ourselves out of the game, which has been the case for the last several years? we've literally taken ourselves out of the gam of breaking down barriers, allowing for the free flow of goods and services and capital.

what happens? we lose jobs. we lose market chair and, mr. speaker, we lose our competitive edge. now, i'm not going to say we would not have gone through the terrible economic downturn that we've suffered over the past few years if we had several years ago passed these freegget -- free trade agreements. if we stepped up to the plate when the negotiations began, mr. speaker, back in 2004 for these agreements, if we stepped up to the plate i think we would have mitigated the pain and suffering the americans are going through the ailing economy that we have. getting our economy back on track an reasserting our american leadership role in the worldwide marketplace will require far more than simply pacific these free trade

agreements. -- passing these free trade agreements. mr. speaker, it's a key and very important step. the agreements will open new markets for, as i said, workers and job creators in the united states. and perhaps even more importan it will send a signal to the world that the united states of americas back, open for business. we are once again choosing to shape -- the united states of america is once again choosing to shape the global marketplace rather than to allow ourselves to be shaped by it. because, mr. speaker, if we don't shape the global marketplace, we will continue to be shaped by that global marketplace. we will also send the very powerful message to our allies that the united states of america is living up toth commitments. you know, mr. speaker, it is utterly shameful, utterly

shameful that we have forced three close friends of the united states, two of our own neighbors right here in the americas and one in an extraordinarily strategic region to wait for four long years. our friends and allies who negotiated with us to wait as long as they have. mr. speaker, one of the things we observed is that the world has taken note. ouwould-be negotiators, not only on trade agreements but on other issues as well, our would-be trade partners and negotiating partners, as i said, on issues beyond trade have taken note. i don't believe that our credibility will be immediately restored with the passage of these free trade agreements. but, mr. speaker, we will at least begin the process, we'll begin the process of

demonstrating credibility on the part of the united states. we will signal that the u.s. is recommitting itself to its partnerships that our word at the negotiating table can be trusted. ry sadly over the past several years our partners could come to no other conclusion other than our word cannot be trusted at the negotiating table because of action taken a few yars ago rejecting an opportunity for consideration of these agreements. mr. speaker, this rule puts in place a lengthy debate process during which the tremendous economic and geopolitical benefits of these three trade agreements will be discussed and the misinformation, the misinformation surrounding these agreements will be able to be refuted. that's why i think this is very important debate. it's vitally important that we have this debate so that the

facts can get on the table and the abilit to refute specious arguments can be put forward and that's what's going to happen this evening and tomorrow leading up to the votes that we are going to cast. this rule provides, also, for the consideration of trade adjustment assiance, a modest program that has helped to build that bipartisan consensus that i've been talking about and i believe is essential to our economic recovery. now, i don't believe that the t.a. program is perfect -- t.a.a. program is perfect. meangful reforms have been incorporated. and most important, most important, mr. speaker, the passage of trade adjustment assistance will in turn help us not just pass the f.t.a.'s but it will help us maintain what i have had as a goal going back

two decades ago when we put together a trade working group that has had bipartisan participation. it will allow us to where he build the bipartisan consensus that i think is so important. mr. speaker, that will send a powerful message to the markets, to job creators, to workers in this country, to amerans who are seeking job opportunities and it will send a very important message to our allies and we hope future allies throughout this world. so, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to come together in a strong bipartisan way and support the rule that will allow us to have a very, very rigorous debate and the underlying agreements and trade adjustment assistance. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i

thank the gentleman from california for providing me the customary 30 minutes, and i yield myself five minutes of that time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, today we consider up several trade bills. the rules committee guaranteed sufficient time on each agreement and ensured that the time would be equally divided for those who support and those who oppose each bill. that's the way we should be debating these bills. it's the fair and the right thg to do, but farpse was not part of the discussion -- fairness was not part of the discussion in the rules committee. instead, we have a rule that gives more time in support of these bills and those who have less legitimate concern about them. if that were not bad enough, this bill waives cut-go. mr. speaker, i strongly for the t.a.a. and g.s.a. bills. it provides companies and woers with fairness and stability and some minimum resources because those trade agreements. they have earned our support. but i cannot say the samebout

the free trade agreements and i'd like to focus my remarks on one of them, the colombia f.t.a. mr. speaker, i've gone to colombia seven times over the past 10 years. nearly every one i talk to, the poor, the most vulnerable, those who defend the most basic human rights and dignity, they all believe that the united states stands for human rights, that we stand for justice, and i'd like to believe that's always true, but not if we pass this f.t.a. colombia is still the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist. each year more labor activists are killed in colombia than the rest of the world combined. a staggering 2,908 union members murdered since 1986. that's about one murder every three days for the past 25 years. 150 in just the past three years. if 150 c.e.o.'s had been assassinated over the past three years, would you still

think colombia is a good place to invest? in 2010, 51 trade unionists were murdered. 21 survived attempts on their lives, 338 received death threats and seven disappeared, their bodies may never be found. 40 had been murdered since president santos took office. as for justice, well, in colombia that's still just a dream. human rights watch just released a study that looked at convictions in cases of murdered trade unionists in the past 4 1/2 years. they found virtually no progress in convigs in these killings. just six out of 195 cases and not a single solitary conviction for more than the 60 attempted murders and 1,500 death threats during that same period. there's a name for them, mr. speaker. it's called complete and total impunity. mr. speaker, just look at the faces of six of the 23 unionists murdered so far this

year. this man at the top right here, luis diaz. he was a regional leader of the university workers union and a security guard at the monterria in cordaba. it's controlled by paramilitaries, drug traffickers and many local officials, judges, prosecutors and police are corrupt or benefit from the violence. they are also the most likely parties there to profit from the colombia f.t.a. another fellow here, jorge de los rios. he exposed damage to communities by open pit mining. on june 8, he was shot several times on the campus school. this young man right here,

dionis vergara. carlos castro, over here, murdered on may 23. shot in the neck by two armed men. he was 41 and the father of three. here is hnan pinto drinking a cup of coffee. he took the lead in the farm worker struggle. and silverio sanchez, just 37 years old, mr. speaker. a school teacher. he died from burns on 80% of his body from an explosive. mr. speaker, these men were husbands, fathers, brothers and sons. if we don't stand up for them then we also abandon the children, families, workers and communities ey left behind, those who continue to fight for labor rights, human rights and basic human dignity. as the old song goes, mr. speaker, which side are you on? i ask unanimous consent to enter the human rights watch study into the record, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman reserves the balance of his time.

the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i yield myself 30 second to say colombia has gone through incredible tragedy over the past several years. it's been absolutely horrible and the suffering that my colleague from worcester has just shown is very, very disturbing. i think we should note that we have seen an 85% decline of the murder rate. there are cities in this country that has a higher murder rate that exists in colombia today and we should also observe and i yield myself 15 seconds, mr. speaker, w should also make it very, very clear that it is safer to be a union member, a union leader in colombia because of the protections provided by the government than it is the average citizen. let's solidify those gains and that's exactly what these agreements will do. with that i'm happy to yield two minutes to a very, very thoughtful individual committed to the trade agenda, my good

friend from illinois, mrs. biggert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mrs. biggert: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the chairman for yielding to me. today i rise with great enthusiasm because at long last the house and senate are poised to act on the most bipartisan economically compelling jobs bill of the obama presidency by supporting this rule and ratifying these agreements we are taking a huge step towards leveling the playing field for u.s. goods and services and in doing so we can create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs right here in america. and thanks to the pending free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea, the tariffs on many american products will come down immediately. giving a massive boosto our economy at a time when we need it more than ever. all told, these free trade agreements would support an estimated quarter million american jobs and increase exports by 13 million dollars. in my home state of illinois

will be among the first to benefit. illinois ranks sixth in the nation in terms of total exports. 109 companies in my district alone export abroad and local exports support nearly 65,000 jobs in just dupage, cook and wilkes county. this is not just boeing, navastar and kraft, there is also a handful of employees. exporters are small businesses exporting everything from computer chips to financial services. . trade with south korea supports 1,137 jobs and that number has the potential to rise dramatically after this week's agreements go into effect. imagine that impact multiplied hundreds of times across congressional districts throughout the nation. mr. speaker, passing these agreemen is one of the commonsense, low cost and one of

the most economic sound things congress to do now to boost job growth and now that the president has september the agreements to capitol hill, we must act immediately. i urge my colleagues to support this rule and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i want to give myself time to respond. in 2009, the total number of murder in mexico was 23 labor leaders and six priests were targeted and murdered i los angeles so far this year because of the work in their community. and the gentleman would be up in arms about that, but that's the reality colombia. i yield to the gentleman from new york, mrs. slaughter. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. slaughter: i cannot state strongly enough i'm opposed to

the three free trade bills we are considering today. on behalf of the businesses in western new york i implore to vote against this. none of the free trade bills we voted on in the last 20 years were designed to protect american manufacturing and american jobs. they were designed to protect multinational corporations operating in the towers of new york, london and shanghai. these companies care less where the goods are made so long as we sell them all over the world. we have different responsibilities. we must care where goods are made. we must care to do everything we can to make sure they are made in the u.s.a. and i think many people would be shocked to know that there is little in the current tra agreement to present our own trading partners from developing new regulatio that we have done all these years making it

harder for us to sell goods in their country. using the nontariff barriers they could place restrictions on american-made cars and they do in order to stop them from being sold until south korea. do you know how many american-made car dealers sell cars in south korea? >> 26. there is something wrong with that picture. this is not freflowing trade. we are restricted. but under these proposed free trade agreements, we can't do a thing. and they call it a good deal. currently, the barriers are playing a vital role in preventing u.s.-made cars being sold in japan. for every one car that the u.s. exports to japan, japan exports at least 180 vehicles to the

united states. that is one to 180. u.s. exporters in japan were limited to 8,000 cars. that's all we could sell in japan. quote, a variety of nontariff barriers have impeded assets to japan's markets. sales remain low and is a serious concern. but despite that, the government's right hand is going to sign more trade deals that do exactly the same thing. it defies common sense. instead of voting for a new trade bill that will ensure a fair playing field for american manufacturers, h.r. 1479, that will require the u.s. government to have tariff and nontariff barriers in negotiating agreemts with another country

and not reduce our tariffs until that has bee done. this would guarantee that american manufacturers have the same opportunity as foreign competition. may i have another minute? mr. mcgovern: i yield an additional minute. ms. slaughter: it's time to have a snap-back provision. it's a no-nonsense approach and bipartisan in the house and has been endorsed by american trade coalition, united steel workers and auto workers even though they are the only union that will benefit somewhat by the korean pact. congress needs to wake up and make countries like china and germany who is going to dominate the green manufacturing. we pioneered here. over and over again we have waited and watched and mt cent ones that trouble me is general electric, giving away

the -- the intellectual property, airplane engines to china and gm forcing to give its technology of the volt to be able to sell there. mr. speaker, the time is now. we aren't going to maintain superpower status if we give ch other hair cuts and serve each other dinner. we have to make things here at home so our businesses can benefit from fair trade. i yield back. mr. dreier: i yield myself 15 seconds, free trade is fair trade and interesting to note that the united auto workers support the agreement that exists and i concur with my friend from rochester in arguing that we must enforce the agreements that we have, including on intellectual property issues. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, ranking democrat on

the education and work force committee, mr. ller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. miller: mr. speaker, members of the house, one of our most important responsibilities as elected officials is to promote and protect american jobs and values. when it comes to trade, jobs and values go hand in hand. to promote american jobs, we must promote american values. do this by ensuring our workers are protected with countries who keep wages artificially low and suppressing the democratic rights, to speak out, the right to organize, the right to bargain, a better life without fear. and so as we now consider the trade agreement with colombia, what do you get when you exercise your right in colombia today? death threats and death squad activities against you and your family. colombia is the most dangerous place on earth for workers to cheers their rights.

during the last eight years, 570 union members were assassinated. 10% of the thousands of killings over the last 25 years have been resolved. the frtier is undenable. i appreciate that they have brought labor rights into the equation and agreed to a labor action plan requiring them to change labor laws and fight violence. but the plan is flawed. it only demands results on paper, it does not demand real change. colombia could have a record year for assassinations and still mehe requirements of the plan. and re enough, real change is yet to come to come yeah. since president santos took office last year, 48 trade unionists have been murdered, 16 since the labor action plan was announced. this past june, i met with union leaders about his concerns with

thfree trade agreement and told me that he was not provided protection. that the system was still in place despite commitments made by t colombian governmentto remedy both. and two weeks later, this leader received death threats. the message said if you continue to continue problems, you will die. under these conditions that we are asked to approve this dl. if we approve the deal now, any incentive for colombiato truly improve will vanish. now is not the time to reward violence with impunity with the sale of approval by the united states. the deal with colombia is neither fair nor free. if they seek out for higher wages, they will die. that's not freedom. telling ameran workers to compete, that's not fair to our workers or values. stand for american values and reject the colombian free trade

agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlen yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: at this time, i'm happy to yield two minutes to one of our thoughtful, hard working new members, the gentleman from from kansas, mr. huelskamp. the speaker pro mpore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. huelskamp: every day that goes by without these agreements is a missed opportunity. hundreds of missed opportunities have passed because of years of delay, which is why we cannot afford to waste one more day. the fact is today in south korea, for example, beef costs nearly $24 a pound. pork costs nearly $10 a pound. these facts can only work to the benefit of u.s. producers and korean consumers. when america is starved for jobs

and economic growth, agreements with colombia, panama and south korea present an occasion for washington to address these challenges. up to a quarter million new jobs and $100 billion boost to the country's g.d.p. which is a glimmer of hope and not a dime has to be spent to create good american jobs. for america to be part of the 21st century economy, it is not enough to simply buy american, we have to sell american. america's he ag, energy production makes america a trading partner. americans can compete and we can win. when the ambassador of vietnam toured a hog farm in my district, he was impressed and astonished by the safety a cleanlyness of our facilities. that anything naled to me that america and kansas in particular, has much to offer the world.

this is an opportunity for nations seeking more affordable safe and goods with jobs and economic growth. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this rule and underlyinggreements. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from connecticut, ms. delauro. the speaker pro tempore:he gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. ms. delauro: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to this rule d the trade agreements underlying it, particularly the agreement with colombia. nothing is more important to our economy right now than creating jobs and putting america back to work. and yet, we have now before us three nafta-style trade agreements with south korea, colombia and panama, that we know from experience will lead to more jobs being shipped

overseas and greater trade deficits. in fact, the economic policy institute has estimated this agement with colombia will result in the loss of 55,000 american jobs. the colombia deal is particularly gentleladying because it will do more than just destroy american jobs, but bring into question whether our nation is a defender of human rights and workers' rights around the world. more unionists are killed every year in colombia than in the rest of the world combined and last year, saw 51 murders as the afl-cio noted if 5 c.e.o.o had been murdered last year in colombia, this deal would be on a very slow track indeed. this year, we have seen 23 more men and women killed. human rights watch reviewed these and hundreds of other cases of anti--union violence there and concluded that

colombian authorities have, quote, made no progress in obtaining convictions in killing in the past 4 1/2 years, end quote. only 6% of the 2,860 murders since 1986 have there been any conviction. that means 94% of the killers are walking away. worse, 16 of the murders this year have occurred after the labor action plan put forward by the administration and the colombian government was put into effect. this action plan is a if anything leaf, pure and simple. it is not legally binding and makes promises that the colombian government will step up its protectns but demands no concrete results before this free trade agreement is implemented. according to the national labor school, if congress passes the free trade agreement, quote, the limited willingness for change will be further reduced and action plan will be turned into

a new frustration for colombian workers in addition to causing other serious consequences, end quote. more violence and murders against trade unionists and will be the cost of doing business. we should not be sanking such a system of violence, terror and abuse. we have a responsibility to protect working families in colombia w are exercising and onlyxercising their fundamental rights and we have a responsibility to stand up for our american working families who do not need to see any more good, well-paying jobs shipped overseas. i urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and this unconscionable agreement and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has exred. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself one. we are going to respond to these arguments that have been made.

we've been dealing with the armed forces, the farc, the revolutionary armed forces of colombia, the paramilitary's and serious, serious problems that have existed in colombia. no one is trying to white wash or dismiss the serious challenges that exist there. but it is important to note that nearly 2,000, nearly 2,000 labor leaders in colombia, mr. speaker, have around-the-clock bodyguardsrotecting them and in colombia it is safer to be a unionist than it is the average citizen. so i'm n saying that things are perfect. no one is making that claim. but when we've seen an 85% decrease in the murder rate since 2002, when we've seen more murrs take place, tragically i some of our cities, than have taken place in some areas of colombia, that

is something that has to be seen as progress. i yield myself an additional 15 seconds, mr. speaker. to say that i believe we can in a bipartisan way work address these very important issues. and we are going to do just that. we are going to ensure that this kind of agreement effectively addresses these problems. my friend, mr. farr, and i have sat together in the office of the fiss -- fiscalia in colombia, i yield myself an additional 15 seconds, we have sat and pain skingly, with several of our colleagues, decrats and republicans alike, we have gone through these pending cases to bring about a resolution on this issue and in just a few minutes i'm going to be yielding to my friend, mr. farr, to talk specifically about this and the challenges we had. with that, mr. speaker, i'm happy to yield a minute and a half to my very good friend, the chair of the committee on foreign affairs who represents what she calls the gateway to the americas, think los angeles comes pretty close to

that, too, but miami, mr. speaker is the gateway to the americas and they're very ably represented by my colleague, ms. ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker and i thank the esteemed chairman of the rules committee for highlighting what a transformation colombia has made in recent years, thanks to the strong leadership from the top down to the cop on the beat. if the american people are listening to this debate they would think that colombia's a war zone equal to iraq and afghanistan. and i believe that those members have not gone to colombia in many a year. but i rise in strong support of the free trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea. i thank my good friend from california for his strong leadership on these three trade deals that we've been waiting so many years, mr. speaker, for them to be sent to congress. i'm pleased that at last we have the chance to vote on

them. because their passage will mean american businesses will finally have a competitive, level playing field. and to give you just one example. american industrial exports to panama, one of our sister countries to south florida, we have so many panamaan-americans living in our -- panamaan americans living in our area, now face tariffs as high as 81%. but almost all of these will be eliminated thanks to this drade agreement. by the administration's own estimate, mr. speaker, the u.s.-south korea free trade agreement, that one alone will generate around 70,000 new american jobs and as the rules committee chairman pointed out, south florida is indeed the gateway to latin america. if i could ask for an additional -- mr. dreier: i wod like to yield my friend an additional 30 seconds. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. will see significant benefits in south florida and not just for large companies but for small and medium sized ones as well.

let's talk about colombia. flower importers in the area estimate that they will save $2 million per month in duties that they now are paying on imports for colombia. and also we should point out how important these trade agreements are, because these three allies are of great importance to our national security. you can't ask for a better partners, fopeace and making sure that we have democracies in the region than south kea, colombia and panama. i thank the gentleman for the time and i'm pleased to support the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentlemafrom massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i yield myself 20 seconds. mr. speaker, if colombia is so safe, then why do 2,000 labor leaders need round-the-clock protection? why are there nearly five million internally displaced people? and over one million colombian

refugees in neighboring countries? it's because they're fleeing the violence and civil unrest. i yield to mr. michaud. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recnized for three minutes. mr. mitchell: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to -- mr. michaud: thank you, mr. speaker, and i want to thank my friend for yielding to me. this makes in order three nafta-style free trade agreements. one with korea, one with panama and one with colombia. all of which -- all of which i opposed. i want to focus my remarks at this time on the trade agreement with colombia because it hits so close to me at home. you will hear frommembers that feel passionate by will colombia from their experience in that country. they support the free trade agreement and i respect their perspective. but there are some of us who feel jusas passionately about our brothers and sisters who are killed in colombia just because they are members of a union. and we oppose the agreement.

i am a proud card-carrying member of the united steel members union, a member of the union for over 39 years and served as vice president of local 152. workers in colombia are being killed for the exact same thing. since january 23 unionists have been assassinated. 51 were killed last year. more than the rest of the world combined. just for carrying a union card like mine. nearly 3,000 workers have been killed in colombia or the past 25 years -- over the past 25 years. the administration's labor action plan is intended to address some of the decade's old problem of violence against unionists and a lack of impunity for the perpetrators but it falls far short from doing so. first, there has not been meaningful collaboration with a lombian union to make sure the action plan is being implemented thoroughly. second, the attorney generals

office, according to the human rights watch, hasn't made any progress in investigating the murder cases over the last four years. ensuring that murder investigations are conducted and completed and the real killers are brought to justice is a critical component of precting our union brothers and sisters in colombia. so far the government hasn't done it. and third, employers continue to force workers into collective pacts so they cannot form unions. by passing this f.t.a., congress is blessing this lack of rights and this long standing trend of violence. we are choosing to stand in solidarity with a government that can't protect its own people, instead the people who need the protecting. i urge my colleagues to think about it. the fact, if they had a card like this and if they were a leader in a union in colombia they would be a target. we should not reward this

country's disregard for basic rights with an f.t.a. i urge my colleagues to vote no on the rule and vote no on the colombian free trade agreement. thank you and i yield back the bance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, i yield myself 30 seconds to say that it's obvious that colombia's not aafe place. i'm not claiming that at all. and there have been murders that have taken place there. it still is -- still is a very dangerous spot. but it's important to note that a mr. gomez who is the leader of one of the three main labor organizations in colombia has said that the labor agreements included in this package are the single greatest achievement for social justice in the last 50 years of colombia's history. we still have a long way to go, mr. speaker. we still have a long way to go. but progress ibeing made. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, at this time i yield two minutes

to the gentleman from oregon, mr. defazio. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. fazio: this is momentous. we're finally talking about jobs on the floor of the house of representatives. and the united states of america is number one. let's have a little enthusim. we're number one. we're number one. and we want to make certain that we continue that status. what are we number one in? we are number one in exporting jobs to foreign lands. over the last 20 years. every day we lose 1,370 manufacturing jobs because there are failed trade policies and guess what? these agreements are duplicates of all failed past trade

agreements. now, thehairman of the committee says we're going to have lengthy debate and we will dispel misinformation. well, the first misinformation is that we're having a lengthy debate here on the floor of the house. 4 1/2 hours for three trade agreements, 270 minutes, boy, i a -- boy, a lot of time. not exactly like we're burning the midnight oil around here or working five days a week. couldn't we have a little more time? fast track would have allowed for 20 hours on each of the two fast track agreements. so that would have been 40 hours. no, we're going to have 165 minutes by the proponents to dispel the misinformation and 105 by those of us who are opposed to these job-killing trade agreements. that's fair. 165 on their side, 105 on our side because their arguments are honest -- our arguments are honest and theirs aren't. that is how things break around here. that's clengy debate. let's talk about colombia. in colombia the average income

is $3,200. think of all the u.s. manufactured goods those colombians are going to buy with $3,200 of income. whoa. thousands of americans go to work. does that remind you of the myth about nafta? no, this is autet one more platform to get an access of abused labor, unorganized labor under colombian law, to provide -- to send goods back to the united states of america. mr. mcgovern: i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. mr. defazio: i thank the gentleman. and then there's the issue of, yes, we will get some moring a kilt exports. insignificant to our industry. won't employ any americans. may employ some more people who are in this country to harvest the crop. but it will cut dramatically into the principle form of employment in colombia. there will be a 75% drop potentially in rural employment in colombia and where will they turn?

the noted economist says they will turn from traditional farming and farming for their own economy to growing coca. so not only are we going to facilitate the collapse of their agricultural economy like we did mexico, we're going to facilitate the drug lords with this crumby agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say to my friend that we have been debating this issue since the negotiations began in 2004. time and time again on this house floor we've had very rigorous debate on these agements. and i will acknowledge we do have problems with job creation and economic growth. what this measure does, mr. speaker, is it eliminates the barrier for union and nonunion workers and farmers in this country to have access to new maets. on august 15, on august 15 colombia, because we have done nothing, i yield myself an additional 0 seconds, mr. speaker. on august 15, because we have done nothing, our colombian

friends negotiated a free trade agreement with the canadians. with our good friends to the north, the canadians. and guess what, mr. speaker? in literally one month there was an 18.5% increase in canadian wheat exports to colombia. this is the kind of opportunity that we've been prevented from having and we've been debating is for five years. it's high time that we vote and that's exactly what we're going to do, after hours of debate, both tonight and tomorrow. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i yield myself 25 seconds. to respond to the gentleman from california. he mentioned a labor leader in his remarks before as saying how wonderful the labor action plan was. i should point out to him that last monday, october 3, that same labor leader jined a press conference to express his frustration with the colombian government's failure to implement the labor action plan. i would also point out that the

colombian labor school also has issued a -- launched a statement about how the colombian government has failed to enact labor action plans. i don't care what the canadians do. the united states of america, we're supposed to protect human rights. i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from illinois, ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized for three minutes. . ms. schakowsky: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you for your tireless commitment to promoting human rights. i rise in strong opposition to this rule and three pending trade agreements. the bush-negotiated agreements expand the nafta trade model which is destructive to the american economy and harul to the workers in the united states and abroad. instead of considering a jobs bill, we are voting on trade

deals that the economic policy institute eliminates will eliminate or displace 200,000 american jobs. in particular, i believe we should not extend addional 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 long-standing legacy of serious abuses and despite positive rhetoric by the santo administration, we have yet to see it. it includes language to punish abuses, but it is not legally binding or nor is it included. we need to see results before granting preferential trade treatment. under this agreement, if violence and impunity continues, the u.s. will have no mechanism

for holding the colombian governme accountable under the labor action plan. human rights abuses are not just a thing of the past in colombia. recently published statistics show that colombia is still the deadliest place in the world to be a trade unionist with 51 murders in 2010. 25 trade unionists have been murdered so far in 2011 and 16 since this labor action plan wept into effect. and this cycle of violence is going to continue because the colombian government has made little progress towards prosecuting perpetrators and ending impunity. the action plan reward promises, not progress. mr. speaker, the considering of any trade deal with colombia is inappropriate until we see tangible and sustained results. as the afl-cio president has said and think about this, he

has said, quote, we have no doubt that if 51 c.e.o.'s had been murdered in colombia last year, the deal would be on a very slow track indeed, end quote. i urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the three under hiring trade -- underlying trade agreements. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say that my friend from illinois is absolutely right, colombia i not a safe place, but we have seen an 85% reduction since 2002n the murder rate among trade unionists. it is not perft and stilla dangerous place but that is progress. i would like to say to my friend to worcester, mr. gomez is still support of the free trade agreement that he mentioned in

his remarks and he voiced frustration over the implementation of agreements. that is something that tak place in a free society. implementation of this will help with that enforcement. with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: my privilege to yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, ranking member on the ways and means committee, mr. levin. mr. levin: the bush administration negotiated three flawed f.t.as. it violates fundamental principle of sound overall trade policy two-way trade. it locked in auto trade, the source of three-quarters of the american trade deficit with korea. last year, urged by congressional democrats, they

have opened up the korean market for auto products made in america. these changes would not have happened if the republicans continually insisted the f.t.a. had passed as originally negotiated. panama f.t.a. originally negotiated by the bush administration failed to carry out another key provision of sound trade policy incorporating international standards and worker rights. congressional democrs and the obama administration successfully worked with the government of panama to correct these flaws and also took the necessary, concrete steps to change its role as a tax haven. the colombian f.t.a. fell far short of addressing the long-standing concerns about the specific challenges in colombia to worker rights and the persistence of violence and impunity. the obama administration and the new santos administration

undeook the importance of discussions culminating in an action plan relating to labor rights. there remains shortcomings in the plan's implementation. given congressional republican insistence, it is completely lacking any link in the implementation bill to the action plan necessary to assure its present implementation and ture enforcement actions under the f.t.a. in view of those conditions, i oppose the colombia f.t.a. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: may i inquire of my good friend and rules committee member how many speakers? mr. mcgovern: mr. mcdermott and then we'll close. mr. dreier: i have a couple of speakers. and let me say -- how much time

is remaining on each side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 7 1/4 minutes remaining. the gentleman from massachusetts has 4 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. mcgovern: i will reserve. mr. dreier: mr. speaker, at this time, what i would like to do, i mentioned the bipartisan nature of this and to stress that and being the only one who will yield time to democrats, i yield 2 1/2 minutes to my very good friend and a man with whom i spent time in colombia on numerous occasions, the the gentleman from car mel, california, a peace corps volunteer, mr. farr. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. farr: i look forward to this debate. i lived in colombia and i have a different perspective. we have to put it in

perspective, latin american market is important. if you take brazil, mexico and colombia, they equal the entire european trade and exceed the trade with japan and china. it's a very important market. colombia is a country that you heard a lot about, particularly on crime and big drug producon and a lot of crime, killing of labor leaders, but colombia is one of the few countries in the world that keeps track of crime against people who happen to be unionists, not necessarily they are killed because they are unionists, but because they are killed and happen to be a member of a union. we don't do that in the united states. come yeah has set up a separate minimumes try to put judges, prosecutors, investigators, everybody in place in every single one of the departments in

colombia. we don't do that in the united states. colombia has created a protection system for unionists, including people who want to fo unions and advocate for unions, teachers and retireys of unions whoay be threatened. we don't do that in the united states. they have set up a hotline, full disclosure and do it anonymously, email in or call in anonymously to the government reporting any violations. we don't do that in the united states. there are aot of issues we ought to recognize. but most of all, we have to talk about this as american jobs. we sell a lot of things that we make here in america to colombia. let's take catter pillar, for example. canada has adopted a free trad reement. europe is about to adopt a free trade agreement with colombia. our goods will be more expensive

in coloia and they won't buy from us. they will be buying heavy equipment from europe and from brazil and canada, countries that have entered into a free trade agreement. let's preserve american jobs. this is a huges porters. it's the numr one country to export produce to. let's have the debate. the speaker prtempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts. the gentleman from california? mr. dreier: i have another speaker and i'm goingo close. mr. mcgovern: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington from the committee on wa and means, mr. mcdermott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, in my district, one out of three or maybe one out of four people

make their job some way in relationship to foreign trade, either directly through the seaport or through the companies that operate in my district or district of eastern washington. all of us in seattle know that trade is not bad if it's done right, and thas really the issue that we're debating here tonight under this rule, which i support. two of the agreements that we have before , korea and panama, are examples of doing it right. the bush administration went in and signed agreements that were flawed and in fact were held up and then were renegotiated andr in my opinion, a good place for the trade issue for these two countries. we rejected those flawed agreements because we wanted to do it right. now with the new rewritten

agreements. in panama's case, it is no longer a tax haven. it was the best tax haven on the face of the earth before. we have a trade agreement and implemented tax agreement that will make it transparent and no longer let it happen. unfortunately, colombia is a glass that you can hold up and say is it half full or half empty. there are problems and many of us have been restant to this for a long time and i will resist tonight because, and most importantly, colombia has moved. they made beautiful speeches. speeches don't change anything. my old friend, ronald reagan, who admired greatly said trust, but verify. when republicans refusedo put into this trade agreement that

the work action plan would be included, they sent the message, we're not serious and that's why you are going to get so much opposition. i urge the adoption of the rule and debate the issues later. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. dreier: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york. the speaker pro tempore: t gentleman from new york is recognizeed for two minutes. mr. meeks: while we have -- meek meek mr. meeks: >> and we have moved forward and trade is never just about economics but our relationships with other nations, our allies, about strengthening the rule of law and deepening ties.

a report a recent report by the council of foreign relations said it well, trade has been a major strategic instrument foreign policy and binds together countries in a broad and economic network that constitutes a bulwark against conflict. let me talk specifically about the colombia free trade agreement. many of my colleagues have talked about the violent past in colombia and having traveled extensively in colombia, i can tell you personally that colombia is not what it used to be, far from it. even if it is not where it wants to be just yet, there has been major progress in colombia and this has been th a tremendous amount of cooperation with and between our great nations. the agreement with colombia certainly has its many economic benefits for america. we are leveling the playing field for american business. but beyond that, what i want to

emphasize the role that the agreement plays in strengthening the rule of law. the agreed-upon action plan between the obama administration and the santos admistration brings about important changes that labor groups in colombia have sought to so lid file for years. several labor organizations have made statements about the importance of the actionlan. one of the federations lauded the action plan saying it is one of the results of advancement of labor and guarantee of freedom of association and the federation and others have stated that this action plan will continue to fht against impunity. . i am pleased to say that just last month the obama administration announced that colombia has fully complied with its commitment under labor action plans, that the same

time the state department has also notified the colombians meeting statutory criteria for human ghts and the call for obligations of the u.s. assistance funds for the colombian armed forces and i thank the gentleman for yielding. let's pass this agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts has 2 1/4 minutes. the gentleman from california has 21 fourts minutes -- 2 1/4 minutes. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, congress was right in refusing to take up the colombia f.t.a. when it was signed in 2006. supporters of the f.t.a. now talk about those years as colomb's dark past but they supported the f.t.a. then just as they do now. the house was right to block the f.t.a. in 2008, supporters then ex tolled the virtues of the governme, but colombia's new attorney general has revealed hind boggling corruption in every agency of the government.

criminal acts were the norm. i beeve the santos government is colombia's best chance to bring about much-needed reforms and institutional change. i want him to succeed. but goodwill is not enough. we've had promises before. we need times to see if good intentions result in concrete change of labor and human rights. this is tito diaz. he was a mayor. in 2003 he denounced the links between public officials and paramilitaries. for this he was tortured and murdered. his body was found strung up like a crucifix, shot 11 times, his fingernails ripped out, his knees plungened and his i.d. card taped to his forehead. his son carried on his father's work, leading the victim's movement. he survived four assassination attempts but finally fled the country. others took his place. since 2006ive more victims rights leaders have been murdered. two this year. this is reality for colombia's human rights defenders. 29 of whom have been killed

this year. 51 priests murdered in the past decade. six so far this year. in this violent reality, colombia workers attempt to exercise their rights. i ask my colleagues, think about the lives, all the brave labor leaders, human rights defebbeders, religious and community leaders, do not turn your backs on them. demand concrete change on the ground before approving the colombia f.t.a. you know that that is the right thing to do. if the united states of america stands for anything we ought to stand out loud and foresquare for human rights. let's remember that as we deliberate on the colombia f.t.a. it is just wrong to rationalize or explain away the human rights situation in colombia. we are better than that. we should demand more on behalf of the workers and the human rights defnders in colombia. vote no on the rule and vote no on the colombia f.t.a. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized for 2 1/4 minutes. mr. dreier: i yield myself the balance of the time. mr. speaker, i'd like to get

the debate back to where it was. we have before us four pending issues. we have trade agreements with colombia, panama, south korea and we have the very important trade adjustment assistance. mr. speaker, our fellow americans are hurting. job creation and economic growth is something that democrats and republicans alike are talking about. i was listening to the words of one of t protest leaders up in new york a this guy was sang that the protests are about economic and social justice and he said, working class americans can no longer be ignored. now, mr. speaker, this measure that is before us, according to the international trade commission, will create 250,000 new jobs here in the united states of america. i argue that if we had had these agreements in place, the pain tt so many of our fellow americans are feeling at this

moment would not be as great as it has been because for half a decade, half a decade these agreements have been languishing, waiting to be considered. now, the last two speakers i yielded to happen to be democrats. i'm very proud of working -- having worked closely together with sam farr and gregory meeks on these agreements. there are lots of other people who have been involved and worked tirelessly for years. over the last two dedes i've had a working group that i started with former ways and means committee chairman, bill archer, going all the way up w to working with dave camp and kevin brady and wally herger and others. democrats have joined with our bipartisan trade working group because there are democrats and republicans who want us to get back to the bipartisan approach to our global leadership role. they want to open up markets around the world for the united states of america and with

passage of these three agreements, mr. speaker, we're going to have access to $2 trillion of economic activity and 97 million consumers. mr. speaker, we need to support this rule, we're going to have debate going into this evening and we're going to have debate throughout the day tomorrow. minutes. mr. mcdermott: thank you, madam speaker. tonight, the fat's in the fire and we're starting with the tough one up front. i rise in opposition to the colombia free trade agreement. i believe that trade can have transformative effects on society and -- on a society and its economy. i've seen it firsthand in seattle where one out of three or one out of four people make their living directly from trade. i've seen it in southern africa, i helped write the agoa act and seen the effects it's had there. when trade is done right, it

creates opportunities, it generates jobs, and it lefts -- lifts people up the economic ladder. if it is done right. now, i don't come to this with any kind of ideological knee jerk. i am one that believes that you need to go and look. i've been in colombia on several different occasions, once with commerce secretary gutierrez, we went out to community meetings, we sat down and listened to people talk, president uribe had a community meeting and we saw what was going on. i've been to medellin, which was one of the most dangerous cities in central america, in fact, in the world, and one day, when one of the drug lords was taken out, the people of medellin said, no mas, no more, we don't want anymore. colombia has come a long way from the image that people have of that country.

but there's still are problems, too -- but there still are problems, too many remaining and the efforts to address them have not been really activated. the labor problems are really grave. last year, more union leaders were killed in colombia than the rest of the world combined. nearly every murder has been gotten away with. no one has been arrested. no prosecution. nothing. now, effective organizing would save lives in colombia, just like it has in the rest of the world. but colombian laws compound this culture of impunity by making it easy to deny workers their basic rights. imagine what it does to a worker, thinking about joining a union, to improve his lot or her lot. no wonder only 4.4% of colombia's labor force dares to unionize.

democrats have been clear about this situation from the very start and for the sake of the working people of colombia, for the safety of the colombian workers and their families, and for the working people here in the united states, because the working community around the world is all one, really. what happens to workers in one area is -- has an effect in other areas and if we allow people to take jobs to where the cheapest labor is, where there are no rules or no anything, we then damage our own workers. that's part of the problem in this whole issue as we discuss it here tonight. now, to be sure, we made some important victories in trying to renegotiate this agreement. we were able to, after the bush administration had written these agreement we said no. and then we took over in the house and mr. rangel and mr. levin negotiated the may 10 agreement with the president of

the united states and that recognized international labor standards and it was a crucial step. the regaucheuation of the u.s.-colombia free trade agreement has also produced a labor action plan, which was another part -- the renegotiation of the u.s.-colombia free trade agreement has also produced a labor action plan which sets out -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcdermott: i'll save the rest for tomorrow. we'll debate it more tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. brady: i ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of the time to the chairman of the committee, mr. camp, that he may control time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized and will control the time. mr. camp: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. camp: madam speaker, today is a good day. many of us have been working for years for the opportunity to approve our pending trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea. we called on the president throughout his term to submit all three agreements to congress but opposition among some democrats led many to believe we'd have to settle for just one or two of the agreements. today we have all three pending agreements before us. approving them will resuscitate the u.s. trade agenda, create good u.s. jobs and help get our economy moving again. the u.s. international trade commission estimated that the agreements will increase exports by at least $13 billion. by the president's ownest mation that could generate 250,000 new jobs. the i.t.c. estimates it will kin crease the u.s. gross domestic product by $10 billion, and doesn't cost the

u.s. government a dime. it rectifies the current imbalance in u.s.-colombian trade. last year, colombian exporters paid virtually now tariffs when they shipped goods here but our exporters paid 11%. this removes the colombian duties. our exporters have paid nearly $4 billion in unnecessary duties since this agreement was signed. we know from experience that these agreements will yield benefits. between 2000 and 2010, total u.s. exports increased by just over 60%. but our exports to countries with which we have trade agreements increased by over 90%. our exports to peru, for example, more than doubled since passage of the u.s.-peru trade agreement from $2.7 billion in 2006 to $6.1 billion

in 2010. that's $2.4 billion more than the i.t.c. had forecast. in the face of this major economic opportunity, delay has been costly. major economies whose workers and exporters compete with ours have worked aggressively to undermine our competitive edge. our workers and job creating exporters are falling behind, losing export market share that took years to build. for example, the u.s. share of colombia's corn, wheat an soybean export fell from 71% in 2008 to 27% in 2010 after argentina's exporters gained preferential access to the colombian market. after canada's trade agreement went into effect on august 15, colombia's largest wheat importer dropped u.s. suppliers in favor of canadian wheat. adding insult to energy, canada signed its agreement with

colombia two years after we signed our agreement with colombia. in short, we owe it to u.s. workers and exporters to approve this agreement now and to press the president for prompt implementation. it's not only consider -- we don't only consider the economic benefits to this. this has left strong allies out in the cold. colombia sits with the united states on the u.n. security council and chairs its iran sanctions committee. colombian troops have served alongside u.s. troops at war and colombia has been training militaries and police around the world in counternarcs and counterinsurgency. as five former commanders of u.s. southern command have said, and i quote this agreement will meet our duty to stand shoulder to shoulder with colombians as they have stood by the united states as friends and allies, end quote. . i urge my colleagues to support this important agreement and i

reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: i'm privileged to recognize mr. pascrell of new jersey, a distinguished member of our committee for 2 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pascrell: i want to challenge just about everything that my very good friend, mr. camp, laid before this house. first, let's talk about the numbers. the updated report that mr. camp referred to in terms of the number of jobs that would be created by this colombian deal contains a very specific disclaimer, that it is not an official estimate. additionally, any reports

estimate that the overall trade deficit will increase, an increase in trade deficit cannot lead to job creation. it's never happened and will never happen. and you throw numbers in front of people. and you know what? you better know what you are talking about. you know what? given the projected changes, the growth of the united states trade deficit with colombia will displace 83,000 jobs in the united states of america by 2015, for a net loss of an additional 55,000 jobs. those are the numbers. i didn't make them up. so when you think that any time you are going to parade a trade deal in front of us and i voted for peru because i thought it was a great step forward -- and anybody is going to have to believe that what you are saying is really what the truth is, you are over.

the american people don't accept these trade deals that have diminished, diminished us. but the worst part of the colombian deal is this. since the new president, mr. sanchez, 38 union people killed. family men, teachers, lawyers, shot in the back of the head. wired up on a tree and one indictment. you want to bring the colombian trade deal here? here we go. and make us believe you aren't only going to create jobs, but these victims are going to be no more. you had an opportunity. here are the numbers, madam chair. here are the numbers, very clear, from 2007 to 2010, 51 murders last year. no convictions of the 94% of the

cases. 130 human rights defenders. this is wrong and the american people -- thank you, madam chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i yield three minutes to my distinguished colleague on the ways and means committee, chairman of the trades committee, mr. brady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. brady: thank you for your leadership on trade and your critical role working across the aisle and this administration to bring this free trade agreement and others to the floor. the world has changed. it is not enough to buy american any more, we have to sell american. we have to go out and sell

american products, services and agricultural products. when we do, we find the world is tilted against us. too many countries have an america need not apply sign. these agreements change that and they tear that sign down and level the playing field and create two-way trade with not just sales into america but we compete for new customers in their country and that is critical because many consumers live outside of america. colombia is a critical ally of ours. as a country, they have made progress on human rights, labor rights and rule of law and fought terrorism and created a safer country than a decade ago. if they were a company, we would call them the turn-around of the decade.

colombia is an alleyy. they want to trade first. it opens the door for over $1 billion of new sales from america into colombia and increases our economy by $2.5 billion and creates new standards that allow not just our agricultural community or our manufacturing community to sell two-way but telecommunications and energy management and accounting and other services can sell on an equal-to-equal, plug-in-together as equal trading partners. it's critical that we don't allow america to fall farther behind. it has been nearly five years since this agreement has been signed. president bush signed i think a very strong agreement. president obama, to his credit,

continued to work with both sides of the aisle, i think, to put on some pre-conditions that have been very important to our democrat members and labor rights. this agreement has strong bipartisan support, a strong economic support and it's critical for our national security ally like colombia that we wait no longer, that congress stand up, republicans and democrats together, to pass a bipartisan jobs bill that creates two-way trade, creates real jobs and strengthens our security relationship with remarkable ally in our hemisphere. i strongly support this agreement and urge its passage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the distinguished representative from ohio, ms. capture. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman from ohio is recognized. ms. kaptur: it's time for america to negotiate fair trade agreements that create jobs in america and based on a rule of law, respect for life and liberty before profits of the few. i rise in opposition of this view. it is a gnata-like trade accord that are people killers, job killers. there was an accord. this is a picture. a father who was found murdered along a roadside in colombia gunned down as he traveled through the countryside. he had traveled to bogota to raise concerns in his community about the impact of a giant open pit gold mine. he is one of six catholic

priests killed this year alone in colombia in addition to 22 union leaders that have been killed there since january. what kind of a deal is this with a nation that has had dozens and dozens since 2010, 51 people murdered to save union activities in colombia. what is wrong with our country that we cannot stand up for democracy, human rights and job creation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: how much time is remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, has 38 minutes. and the gentleman from, mr. levin, has 37 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. camp: i yield two minutes to the distinguished member of the

ways and means committee, the gentleman from california, mr. herger. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. herger: madam speaker, the trade agreements before us represent a major opportunity for america can small businesses and workers. by leveling the playing field for u.s. goods and services entering colombia, panama and south korea, these agreements will provide a significant boost to our economy and create an estimated 250,000 new jobs. they are commonsense win-win agreements for the american people. here's why. removing barriers to u.s. exports means that our u.s. products become more competitivetive in foreign markets which in turn generate more sales and more business for our farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and service providers.

passing these agreements will mean more jobs, more economic growth and more opportunities both on and off the farm for the men and women in my northern california congressional district and the rest of our nation. perhaps best of all, these trade agreements will provide real, permanent economic stimulus at no cost to the american taxpayers. they represent fundamentally sound economic, getting government-imposed barriers out of the way and letting american businesses and workers do what they do best. as a former ranking republican on the ways and means subcommittee on trade, i urge support for these agreements while i believe this week should have come a lot sooner. these are real job bills. and i urge my colleagues to support all three. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. mr. pallone: i rise in opposition to the three trade agreements. it is essential we work to keep jobs here in the united states and i believe the trade agreements with south korea, colombia and panama will cost u.s. jobs. we should be doing everything we can to create jobs and advance economic opportunity here at home. these trade pacts are modeled on the nafta agreement. in the last decade alone we lost 55,000 manufacturing plants and six million jobs with nafta in place. we don't want to repeat. the essential issue at hant is the trade deals between a large economy and smaller economy naturally benefits a smaller economy. in this case, south korea, panama and colombia. they are a fraction of the size

of the u.s. and will stand to benefit greatly by exporting their goods here while i fear u.s. exports will not have the same advantage. we should be focused on passing the american jobs act to hire new workers in the united states and not passing free trailed pacts that will encourage companies to move jobs overseas. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i yield one minute to a member of the ways and means committee, mr. boustany. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. buse bruce colombia is a -- mr. boustany: colombia is a key alley despite having tariffs in place. this was negotiated years ago. american credibility is on the

line. our correct as to whether or not we will follow through with our commitments. u.s. businesses, farmers and ranchers have been losing market share with the inability to move forward on this agreement. in 2008, u.s. agricultural producers had 71% of that market. by 2010, we were down to 27% and still dropping. and that's because other countries who have fulfilled agreements with colombia after we have already negotiated this have gained that market share. they have picked up the market share we have lost. passing this agreement is a very important step in reversing this trend to our farmers, ranchers and our businesses in this country. colombia is currently the 10th largest export market from my home state of louisiana and stands to grow as a result. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. boustany: pass this agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from michigan, mr. camp reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. woolsey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. woolsey: today, with unemployment in the united states over 9% and the middle class under siege, we are srg a colombian trade bill that would cost, according to the economic policy institute, 55,000 jobs. that makes absolutely no sense. it's bad enough to ship u.s. jobs overseas but particularly to a country that leads the world indeedly violence against union members. in colombia, to band together with your fellow workers is to take your life in your own hands. 23 trade unionists have been murdered so far this year, including one teacher, a teacher, who was hanged with bashed wire.

. -- barbed wire. as the afl-cio put it, if 51 c.e.o.'s had been murdered in colombia, this would be on a slow track indeed. let's put america back to work with a big, bold jobs plan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: thank you, madam speaker. i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. gerlalk, a member of the ways and means committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gurlalk: i rise in support of the -- mr. gerlach: i rise in support of the colombia free trade agreement and indeed all three free trade agreements. these agreaments are

significant and will unlock new markets for pennsylvania companies to sell products overseas. by eliminating burdensome tariffs, they will improve our ability to sell american-made products overseas. specifically in pennsylvania they will be a boon for farmers and provide new opportunities in other key export sectors of pennsylvania, including primary metal producers. tariffs on more than 90% of metals such as steel, titanium an zinc will be implemented. more than 50% of our exports will be duty-free and similar trade agreements exist in the colombia and panama free trade agreements as well. as we continue to lose shares in the flobal market, we cannot afford another delay in the agreements. i yield back an thank the speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan,

mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: i yield a minute and a half to the very active member on these issues, mr. mcgovern of massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. mcgovern: the colombia f.t.a. is bad for jobs, bad for colombian workers. colombia is a country in conflict that kills thousands every year. it suffers from over four million internally displaced, second only to sudan. over a million colombians are refugees in neighboring countries, fleeing terrying, crippling violence from guerrilla and even the country's own military. after they leave, wealthy drug words take over. this will increets that vicious cycle. every study shows that it will push small farmers off their

land and they will be forced to join the ranks of the displaced or grow coca. they won't be buying american goods, madam speaker. when colombian workers have no rights, then there's no level playing field for american workers and that costs jobs this f.t.a. is set up to help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. it's the last thing america's workers and human right defenders need. let me ask my colleague, do human rights matter anymore? if so, we should not be debating this f.t.a., we should be waiting until we see real, honest to goodness result thops eground. when it comes to human right the united states of america should not be a cheap date. we should stand firm and we should be unabashed in our support for human rights and madam speaker, that is why i urge my colleagues to vote no on this f.t.a. agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, reserves the

gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i yield one minute to the member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from nebraska, mr. myth. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. smith: i stand in strong support of the trade agreement that will open up trade production to over 40 million consumers close off our shores. while the national economic and strategic impact of the agreement is important, the increased marketing opportunity for nebraska is tremendous as well. specifically for agriculture, the agreement with colombia will lead to garnse nebraska's major commodities such as soy bones and white. currently all ag exports to colombia face tariffs. 3/4 of colombia's tariff lines will become duty-free for u.s. exports. they place a 40% tariff on u.s. beef exports, making it one of the highest tariffs on u.s. beef in the world, this adwreement changes that.

colombia has also lifted unscientific restrictions. they will recognize the equivalence of the american food safety system, a significant viggetry for u.s. food pr deucers. i want to make sure they make the most provided by international sales. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you. madam speaker, i rise in opposition to the colombia free trade agreement. i support trade that's fair. trade that protects labor rights, trade that protects the environment, trade that key ates american jobs. unfortunately, these trade agreements before us fail at all three. labor leaders continue to be murdered in colombia, simply for standing up for base exrights and the colombian government has failed to act.

how in the world can those who support these deals turn a blind eye to the thousands of colombians killed by right wing death squads? are we really rewarding the death squads with this agreement? also, free trade agreements are supposed to ep o-- to open up foreign markets and create more good-paying american jobs. instead, these agreets will only increase our trade deficits and cost other 190,000 american jobs. we cannot create american jobs by doing more of the same. we have to put american workers first and stop shipping jobs overseas. in addition to being fair, these trade agreements must be free and fair and until they are, i can mot support this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i yield one minute to the distinguished chair of the

foreign relations committee, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker an thank my good friend the charel of the committee. i'm astounded but pleased to hear my good friends from the other side speak so eloquently about support for human rights and support for labor leaders and workers' rights, yet some of these folks are the same ones who want to lift sanctions against communist totalitarian cuba where labor unions are jut lawed, where workers have no rights and where human rights are not respected at all. i don't think the castro brothers can even spell human rights in either language. on to the point of human rights and free trade and big ty -- dignity for workers in colombia, i am so pleased that finally we're going to pass this agreement. in south florida, mr. chairman, colombia is already south florida's second largest

trading partner and our two largest economic engines are the port of miami and the miami international airport, both of which will benefit tremendously from the increase in trade with a free democratic colombia so i welcome this and i hope that this -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has education pyred. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: it's my pleasure to yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman veck niced for one minute. mr. lynch: i thank the gentleman for yielding. the only thing i have agreed with so far on the other side is that america's credibility son the line. i do believe that. we've had 2,697 trade unionists killed other the past two decades in colombia. 94% of these murders go

unprosecuted. you know, i was -- i was an iron worker at the general motors plant when we signed nafta. mexico was 4% of the u.s. economy and not long after that, they closed the plant that i was working at, moved it other the border into mexico. colombia's 3% of the u.s. economy. this is all about shifting american jobs down to colombia. that's what this is all about. give me a break. the reason we have 9% unemployment in this country is because we keep shipping jobs overseas. when you find yourself in a ditch, it's time to stop digging. ok? this is a bad deal. we should be ashamed of ourselves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, reserves. the gentleman from plch, mr. camp, is recognized.

mr. camp: at this time, i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from illinois, mr. manzullo. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. manzullo: i rise in support of all three market opening agreements. over the past three years, the united states posted a surplus of over $70 billion in manufactured goods with our free trade agreement partners. these free trade agreements we are discuss having the potential to generate more exports to create or sustain 250,000 jobs. last year, the brookings institute released a study of the metropolitan area of rockford, illinois, and stated that the area exported a whopping $3.3 billion in 2008. making rockford the most exported city in all of illinois. over 16,000 jobs in the rockford area are directly related to these exports. but the passage of these three

free trade agreements, we can have even more exports coming from northern illinois to the rest of the world. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: let me ask, this is somewhat unusual structure here, each of us were going to take 15 minutes of our total allotment, i want to talk to mr. camp, i think we have used all but two of our minutes. and i want to use those two minutes to close the 15 minutes. so i'm not quite sure where you are on your 15 mins. mr. camp: i have two more speakers at a minute each. so my plan is to have those be the conclusion of our time.

mr. levin: why don't you call on one, i'll take one and then you'll have one more person. mr. camp: at this time, i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from florida, mr. rivera. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, has one minute remaining. 31 minutes remaining. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. rivera: the colombia free trade agreement represents a critical juncture in our trade rellses. it's about economic security. it means squob, thousands of jobs for america. in my community and for our national economy in particular, international commerce is important to creating those jobs. but it's also about national security because the colombia

free trade agreement will send a message to our allies an just as importantly, it will send a message to our enemies. all of latin america and indeed the world will be watching to see if we are going to stand up with our allies. those that are fighting for democracy and fighting against narcoterror. vote yes on this trade agreement and stand up for our best allies in latin america, colombia. vote yes on this agreement and stand up for jobs in america. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin is recognized. mr. levin: i yield myself two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. levin: we have three f.t.a.'s before us. each one of those should be taken on their own. let me express my strong views about the colombia f.t.a. based

on my three trips there. trade is more than about tariffs or flow of goods. it is -- as important as they are. it's about people. and where workers have no rights, increased trade with another country can work against us and can work against the other cupry. colombia in that regard has presented a special case. violation of basic rights has gone on for decades. and not only those violations of laws, but violation of persons, violence and death. the santos administration came to power and said it wanted to do it differently.

our two governments sat down and worked on an agreement on worker rights. it was a step forward. but there is a serious set of problems. first of all the implementation of that and important instances has been spotty, especially as to the very hement misuse of cooperatives in colombia and so-called collective pacts. and secondly, there was an absolute resistance, refusal on the part of the republican majority to have any reference in the implementation plan to this action plan, to implementation bill. that is a serious, serious flaw . for that reason i am very much opposed to support -- opposed to this agreement. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized and the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, has 30 minutes remaining. pursuant to clause 1-c of rule 19, further consideration of h.r. 3078 is postponed. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, seek recognition? mr. camp: madam speaker, pursuant to house resolution 425 i call up the bill h.r. 3079, the united states-panama trade mo pro-motion agreement implementation act and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 157, h.r. 3079, a bill

to implement the united states-panama trade promotion agreement. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 425, the bill is considered read, the bill shall be debatable for 90 minutes with 30 minutes controlled by the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, 30 minutes controlled by the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, and 30 minutes controlled by the gentleman

from ohio, mr. kucinich. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. camp: and, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. camp: madam speaker, i urge rapid passage of this legislation, to implement the u.s.-panama trade promotion agreement. this agreement enjoys broad bipartisan support and it's clear why. it levels the trade playing field between the u.s. and panama, it is good for u.s. companies, workers and farmers and it advances our national security and leadership in the western hemisphere. right now panama enjoys almost total duty-free access to the united states market because of its beneficiary -- because it is the beneficiary of various trade preference programs. given the importance of a stable and prosperous panama, giving panama this market acss