Jul 20, 2006- UNITED STATES-OMAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT --

HON. MARCY KAPTUR
 OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2006

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Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentlewoman from Californiafor yielding me this time and wish to say to my colleague from California who just left the podium that one of America's problems in the MiddleEast is that we have become too identified with the superrich,undemocratic leaders of those countries who ignore the teeming masses of thepoor among them. That is where ``the resistance'' comes from.

Mr. DREIER. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Ms. KAPTUR. As I finish my statement, I will yield some time to thegentleman.

Mr. Speaker, today the House will consider another so-called free tradeagreement, this time with Oman,a nation that is not a democracy. In fact, far from it. It is a sultanate withrule by the superrich. This agreement will yield no more liberty.

We should defeat the resolution and this bill. Oman is not a free country. Freetrade should only exist among free people. Trade should enhance liberty andfreedom, not undermine it by enshrining gross privilege.

Exploitation of Oman's working class by its own rulers, along with importedlabor from poorer countries who have no rights, underpin the ugly underbelly ofOman, no matter how the gold on their palaces glitters.

Free trade should benefit Americaand America'sworkers, so name me a free trade agreement that has done that? The gentlemanand I were here for the passage of the horrible NAFTA agreement--he voted yes,I voted no. It has put hundreds of thousands of our people in this country outof work, and it has hurt millions more people in Mexico.

NAFTA has yielded trade deficits with Mexico when we used to havesurpluses. Trade deals with Canada,Vietnam, and China have not helped America. Free trade deals help anarrow band of invesors this gentleman is more than happy to help.

``Free trade'' cannot anchor America'sdemocratic principles. Indeed, trade with an undemocratic society ultimatelycrushes liberty's cause.

Constitutions dedicated to liberties and rights and justice must come first.Is America so bankrupt anddesperate for a landing pad in the Middle Eastthat we cede more of our fundamental values of liberty globally with yetanother repressive society?

Free societies exist because people of those nations believed in libertyfirst. America'strade policy should embody our enduring values of liberty, not enshrinepecuniary relationships without principle.

Omanshould first take their place at freedom's table, and then let us talk aboutfree trade.

I ask my colleagues to defeat the rule and to defeat the resolution on freetrade with Oman.It is not a free country, and it is time America identified with those inthe world who aspire for freedom themselves, not just the superrich.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington.Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).

Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding. Let me begin by saying I havethe utmost respect for my friend from Ohio.I greatly revere her passionate commitment to her goal.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say that we share the same goals. Those goals are toimprove the quality of life for the middle class and those struggling workingAmericans here in the UnitedStates of America and in other parts of theworld. I think that we just have a slightly different view.

You know, the gentlewoman pointed her finger at me and began engaging invery, very strong language about the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mr.Speaker, I would like to say that I believe that the North American Free TradeAgreement has been an overwhelming success. Today we enjoy a third of atrillion dollars, with a capital T, in crossborder trade between Mexico and the United States.

As President Bill Clinton said when he was eulogizing Lloyd Bentsen, theformer Treasury Secretary and Senator from Texas, he said, were it not for theNorth American Free Trade Agreement, this very serious problem that we have ofillegal immigration would be much, much worse today than it is.

Now, if one realizes that in Mexicowe have a burgeoning middle class, a middle class that is today larger than theentire Canadian population, and it is continuing to grow, those areas that havebenefited most greatly from the North American Free Trade Agreement in thenorthern states of Mexicohave seen tremendous booms in their standard of living.

Ms. KAPTUR. Would the gentleman be happy to yield me a couple of seconds onhis time?

Mr. DREIER. I am happy to yield to my friend.

MS. KAPTUR. You know, it is amazing how two people can live in this worldand view it so differently. The exploitation of Mexico's rural countryside is acontinental sacrilege. The reason we have all this illegal immigration to ourcountry is NAFTA wiped out the struggling poor of Mexico's countryside. Does thegentleman have no conscience for them?

Mr. DREIER. If I could reclaim my time, Mr. Speaker. May I reclaim my time?

Ms. KAPTUR. What about our workers? Millions lost jobs because of NAFTA.

Mr. DREIER. Could I reclaim my time, Mr. Speaker? Am I in control of mytime?

She is claiming that I am somehow exploiting the underclass of Mexico.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington.Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute to the gentleman.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kolbe). The gentleman is recognizedfor 1 additional minute.

Mr. DREIER. I would say to my friend, obviously we want to do everythingthat we can to see the standard of living and quality of life for thatunderclass that she refers to, as she leaves the floor, as I am trying toengage in this colloquy with her.

I will say that I believe that our policies have played a big role inenhancing the standard of living and quality of life, and I am not going to besatisfied until every single one of those individuals does, in fact, see theirquality of life improve.

I believe in that economic liberalization and creating economic opportunity,which we have done for so much of Mexico, through the existence ofthe----

Ms. KAPTUR. Would you be kind enough to yield?

Mr. DREIER. I am happy to yield.

Ms. KAPTUR. I will just say to the gentleman that post-NAFTA, the wages ofMexicans were cut in half. Two million people are streaming across thiscontinent because their way of life has been destroyed. Travel with me to meetthese people. In our Nation, the middle class has lost a million jobs to Mexico. Why isit the gentleman refuses to see this continental tragedy.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, that is just plain wrong. That is just plaininaccurate. If you look at, again, the standard of living and quality of lifein Mexico,it is substantially greater today than it was before the North American FreeTrade Agreement.

Ms. KAPTUR. Not for the ordinary people.

Mr. DREIER. I believe that these policies are very important for the United Statesand the world.

Ms. KAPTUR. Only for those at the top.