Schauer: Congress Should Reject the Columbia Free Trade Pact

Battle Creek, MI – Mark Schauer, State Senate Democratic Leader and Democratic candidate for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, is speaking out against the free trade pact with Colombia that President Bush sent to Congress on Monday.

"In the midst of economic crisis, at a time when Americans are increasingly uncertain about their jobs and futures, the President decided that more outsourcing is the answer," Schauer said. "This treaty encourages American employers to take their operations overseas and pay their workers less. We should be protecting American jobs – not doing everything we can to get rid of them. By sending this bill to Congress President Bush proved that he is as out of touch as his critics say he is."

The controversial trade pact would eliminate tariffs on goods traded between the U.S. and Colombia. American workers will find it harder to compete as Colombian employers drive down costs by paying wages far below the fair standard.

"Either President Bush hasn't noticed the harm his economic policies have caused us in Michigan, or he doesn't care," said Michigan AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney. "I'm glad that Mark Schauer is standing up for all the Americans who could lose their jobs as a result of this treaty, and for all Colombian workers who stand to be exploited by employers there."

"When our leaders are prioritizing big business and foreign countries over the interests of the middle class, it's clear that we need change," Schauer said. "I'm running for Congress because we deserve leaders who understand that American jobs are a priority."