WASHINGTON, March 15, 2004 -- Representative Charles B. Rangel issued the following statement in response to the agreement reached between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic:

 “Today is indeed a historic day in U.S. relations with the Dominican Republic.  The agreement reached between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic is a recognition of the strong economic relationship we enjoy with the Dominican Republic and a testament to the strength of the Dominican immigrant community in Washington Heights and across America.
 
 “In late 2002, the Bush Administration began negotiating a trade agreement with five of the Central American countries that would not include the Dominican Republic.  At that time, I met with Dominican American leaders from all over the country about why this made no sense.  And it did not make any sense.  The Dominican Republic is the U.S.’s largest trading partner in the region, and is by far the largest consumer of U.S. goods.  And that is what I told the Bush Administration on every occasion that I could - we need to treat our best customer a lot better than we were doing.  With the support of the Dominican American community, we were able to move the Administration.

 “What was truly remarkable about this effort was that it was motivated not by the desire of Dominican Americans here to benefit from a free trade agreement, but because the Dominican American immigrant community wanted to do the right thing for the people back home.  Sometimes in doing the right thing, however, you reap rewards you were not seeking.  Commercial ties between Washington Heights and the Dominican Republic are already strong - but I believe we now have the opportunity to make them even stronger for the mutual benefit of our communities.

 “I look forward to working with the Washington Heights community in reviewing the details of this agreement, and working to ensure that it's an agreement that brings benefits to us all.”