URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO EVALUATE CAFTA WITH MORAL CRITERIA
Why this issue is important: The Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a trade and investment agreement negotiated between the United States and six Central American and Caribbean countries, has begun to make its way through Congress. The Senate has already passed CAFTA and the House is expected to consider it before the August recess.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Contact your member of the House of Representatives especially those who have not yet taken a position on CAFTA (see list below) and urge them to consider important moral criteria before casting their votes.
Background: Congress must ratify CAFTA before it can be implemented but only in an “up or down” vote. Under the current law, also known as “fast track” authority, no amendments can be considered as part of international trade agreements.
USCCB/CRS Position: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) seek to give active witness to the Gospel by promoting public policies that uphold human dignity and foster peace and justice in our world. USCCB and CRS do not oppose or support CAFTA. Rather, we seek to create a climate in Congress for moral dialogue and evaluation of CAFTA, which places the human person at the center of all economic activity. A recent joint statement of Central American and U.S. Catholic Bishops observed that trade is about more than economics; it is about people’s lives and livelihoods. Therefore, international trade policy should dovetail with other development policies to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty.
As part of our work we have joined our efforts with the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty to encourage Catholics in the United States to learn about the issues of aid, trade and debt, how they affect our brothers and sisters worldwide, and how to advocate for U.S. policies that promote economic and social development for people living in poverty. Please visit our website for more information: www.usccb.org/globalpoverty.
In examining CAFTA, USCCB and CRS call on Congress to explore the following moral questions:
- Livelihoods of farmers and food security. CAFTA would require poor farmers in Central America to compete with much more efficient, highly subsidized U.S. agriculture. At the same time, U.S. subsidies are not focused on the needs of small and medium-sized farms in the U.S. Meanwhile, tariff reductions and elimination of supports under CAFTA could subject staple foods like corn, beans, and rice to serious price fluctuations. How will CAFTA address the needs of small and medium-sized farms in the U.S. and Central America?
- Worker rights and environmental protection. While certain labor and environmental provisions are included in the agreement, are they sufficient protection of fundamental worker rights and the environment? How will CAFTA protect the rights of workers and the environment?
- Transparency and democratic participation . During the negotiations and since the agreement was signed, key sectors who will be affected felt unable to contribute to the agreement, and little information has been available in publicly accessible forms. How will people have a say in how CAFTA impacts their lives?
- Intellectual Property. CAFTA’s extension of protections for intellectual property rights may influence the right of Central American countries to exercise proper stewardship over their natural resources and may limit access of poor people to affordable generic medicines. How will CAFTA’s intellectual property provisions impact the poor?
- Poverty reduction and sustainable development. CAFTA’s ability to increase opportunities for the poor and to enhance prospects that they will genuinely benefit from increased trade remains unknown. Trade policies must be framed within an integrated development agenda that improves education, health care, and democratic participation. How will CAFTA promote integral human development, especially of the poor?
Take action now! Urge your Representative to engage in a moral dialogue and evaluation of CAFTA. Visit the CRS website www.crs.org/actioncenter.cfm to send a message today asking your member to respond to the following questions in writing:
- How will CAFTA address the needs of small and medium-sized farms in the U.S. and Central America?
- How will CAFTA protect the rights of workers and the environment?
- How will people have a say in how CAFTA impacts their lives?
- How will CAFTA’s intellectual property provisions impact the poor?
- How will CAFTA promote integral human development, especially of the poor?
HOUSE MEMBERS UNDECIDED ON CAFTA
ALABAMA
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-4 th)
Rep. Terry Everett (R-2 nd)
Rep. Robert Cramer (D-5 th) |
ALASKA
Rep. Don Young (R-At Large) |
ARKANSAS
Rep. Vic Snyder (D-2 nd) |
CALIFORNIA
Rep. Jim Costa (D-20 th)
Rep. Susan Davis (D-53 rd)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-14 th)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-16 th) |
FLORIDA
Rep. Mark Foley (R-16 th)
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-21 st)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18 th)
Rep. Jim Davis (D-11 th)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-20 th)
Rep. Allen Boyd (D - 2 nd)
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R- 6 th) |
GEORGIA
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-2 nd) |
ILLINOIS
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-5 th)
Rep. Danny Davis (D-7 th) |
INDIANA
Rep. John Hostettler (R-8 th)
Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-9 th) |
KANSAS
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-3 rd) |
MARYLAND
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2 nd) |
MICHIGAN
Rep. Dave Camp (R-4 th)
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-2 nd)
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-11 th)
Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-7 th) |
MINNESOTA
Rep. Gil Gutknecht (R-1 st) |
NEW JERSEY
Rep. Jim Saxton (R-3 rd)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-4 th) |
NEW YORK
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-6 th)
Rep. Sue Kelly (R-19 th)
Rep. John McHugh (R-23 rd)
Rep. John Sweeney (R-20 th)
Rep. James Walsh (R-25 th) |
NORTH CAROLINA
Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-2 nd)
Rep. David Price (D-4 th) |
OHIO
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-14 th)
Rep. Bob Ney (R-18 th)
Rep. Ralph Regula (R-16 th) |
PENNSYLVANIA
Rep. Charles Dent (R-15 th)
Rep. Philip English (R-3 rd)
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8 th)
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6 th)
Rep. Todd Platts (R-19 th)
Rep. Don Sherwood (R-10 th)
Rep. Bill Shuster (R-9 th)
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-7 th) |
TENNESSEE
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-5 th)
Rep. Harold Ford (D-9 th) |
TEXAS
Rep. Chet Edwards (D-17 th)
Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-16 th)
Rep. Salomon Ortiz (D-27 th)
Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-20 th)
Rep. Raul Hinojosa (D-15 th) |
UTAH
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-2 nd) |
WASHINGTON
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-1 st) |
WEST VIRGINIA
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-2 nd) |
WISCONSIN
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-5 th) |
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OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
For more information contact:
Tina Rodousakis, Legislative Network Specialist, 1-800-235-2772 x 7462, trodousa@crs.org
Kathleen Selvaggio, Strategic Issues Advisor, 1-800-235-2772 x 7449, kselvaggio@crs.org
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