Trade With Colombia Must be a Two-Way Street

Statement

Trade With Colombia Must be a Two-Way Street

We are taught from a very young age to "play by the rules." The American way of life is built around those four simple words.

For instance, if baseball Team X doesn't like Team Y's line-up, they can't change the rules midway through the third inning to make their runs count double.

Unfortunately, the House of Representatives plays a different form of hardball.

Recently, President Bush used his Fast Track trade authority to urge Congress to move on a trade agreement with Colombia. The rules are, once a trade agreement is sent to Capitol Hill, Congress has a maximum of 90 legislative days to vote on the agreement.

This trade promotion authority was negotiated in a bipartisan fashion originally in 1974 and has led to the successful implementation of 13 trade agreements.

Last week, however, the majority party decided this rule does not apply, voting to remove the 90-day timetable.

Not only does this move completely undercut America's trade negotiating ability by diminishing our ability to open new markets, it also threatens a tremendously important trade agreement which would further open a growing economy to American goods and services.

The U.S. already provides tariff-free access to almost all imports from Colombia. As a result, trade with Colombia is a one-way street, in Colombia's favor.

More than 89 percent of Colombian agriculture exports to the United States are already duty-free. In comparison, no U.S. agriculture exports to Colombia receive duty-free treatment today.

America's trade with Colombia reached $18 billion in 2007, making Colombia our fourth largest trading partner in Latin America and our largest export market for U.S. agriculture products in South America.

Upon entry into force of the Agreement, over 80 percent of U.S. exports of consumer and industrial goods to Colombia would enter duty-free immediately. The Agreement also would provide substantial new opportunities for U.S. farmers' and ranchers' agricultural exports, and resolve sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to agricultural trade with Colombia.

The Agreement would reduce the average tariff faced by U.S. exporters by more than 68 percent, from an 11.2 percent average duty to 3.6 percent immediately upon implementation of the agreement.

Of particular importance to Nebraska agriculture producers would be the immediate elimination of Colombia's duties on high quality beef, wheat, tractors, soybeans and other commodities once this agreement takes effect.

But even the best measures can be tripped up by political realities. Big labor unions have once again inflated parochial issues and their allies on the Hill have been quick to respond by delaying this important free trade agreement.

The truth of the matter is the Colombian government has taken positive steps to improve Colombia in recent years, including specifically reducing violence against labor union members.

In 2000, much of Colombia was controlled by three terrorist groups and ruthless narcotics trafficking cartels. Through international assistance and trade agreements with economic trading partners such as the United States, Colombia has worked hard to transform itself from a country controlled by criminals to a stable, growing economy. This latest move by Congress threatens this hard earned stability.

Colombia is a key security partner in Latin America and is taking aggressive steps to defeat the narco-terrorists threatening the safety and security of the region. By passing this trade agreement, we can show our support for Colombia and their efforts to promote democracy and the rule of law.

An increasingly open market has given Colombia the tools to fight corruption and become a fully functioning democracy. At the same time, the growing export market for U.S. goods continues to be one of the bright spots in our troubled economy. It is hypocritical for groups here in the U.S. to complain of low wages and corruption abroad, but then turn their backs when capitalism and cooperation provide the solution.

It is my hope Congress can put the politics aside and work to pass a trade agreement with Colombia which accomplishes both of these goals.

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