April 10, 2008 — Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), gave the following statement today after Democratic House Leadership forced an historic change in the rules governing trade promotion authority that would in effect kill a carefully-crafted trade agreement with Colombia.  The agreement would have opened up a new market for U.S. products and created more American jobs, while reaffirming our support of Columbia’s efforts to improve its record on human rights and reject the rising anti-Americanism of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

“I am astounded at Speaker Pelosi’s reckless decision today to kill the Columbia Free Trade Agreement bill.  Columbia has demonstrated a commitment to policies that respect human rights and uphold the principles of democracy and human freedom.  This measure is vital to reaffirm our support of a country that has been a tremendous friend to America and vital ally in the region. 

“Columbia’s good are already freely imported into the United States.  This bill would have allowed our goods to be exported into Columbia on an even basis, which would have created jobs for American workers, stimulated domestic production, and given a much-needed boost to our struggling economy.   Democrat leadership could not have picked a worse time to forfeit all reason on U.S. trade policy.”