Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3688, United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3688, UNITED STATES-PERU TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT -- (House of Representatives - November 07, 2007)

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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I am for fair trade, not simply free trade. And I would associate myself with comments already made today, ``free trade for free people.'' Yet already reported recently, miners in Peru are facing having their strike declared illegal and shut down. That doesn't sound very free to me.

This Peru FTA, I will acknowledge I am happy to see the positive developments in the labor and environmental standards. For me, however, they don't go quite far enough. I believe that the Congress has a constitutional role and responsibility to be able to amend these trade agreements no matter whom they are with or how large or small they may be.

Trade negotiations have successfully passed before without fast track authority or closed rule type of treatment, and I think that should be the case today.

The Peru agreement, as currently structured, to me is symptomatic of the larger problem: allowing an unelected trade representative, and not the duly elected representative of the American people, to decide what is best in our trade policy.

The current agreement does not provide for enforceable environmental protections, especially with regard to the lumber industry in sensitive areas of Peru's environment. The agreement, as currently written, would help force the privatization of Peru's Social Security system. The agreement would devastate Peru's already faltering rural agricultural economy.

Congress forced the trade representative to include minimal standards, in my opinion, and these things have been called a breakthrough. I think there should be credit where credit is due, and they have been an improvement. But at the end of the day, if we are to rely on the trade representative and the Bush administration to enforce the trade agreement, I don't think that's an enforceable agreement.

I tried to offer an amendment which would allow for a private right of action to allow American citizens to enforce the provisions of the trade agreement to be carried out and enforce those labor and environmental provisions to be fully fulfilled. But, however, due to the nature of this debate, no such amendment was allowed, and I think that's to the detriment of us all.

I believe that we must work to return to a time when Congress and the elected representatives of the people were allowed to amend our trade agreements. Organized, negotiated and fair trade amongst nations is one of the most important issues facing our Nation, indeed, our world. Its great importance demands that it be given the attention that such an issue deserves.

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