Who Supports the U.S.-Colombia and the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreements?

Leading U.S. Newspapers!

"The delay has in fact cost jobs. The House Ways and Means minority staff reports that in the nearly three years after the U.S. and Colombia signed their pact (the one still sitting in Congress), Colombia ratified a deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Since then, the U.S. has lost 31% of its share of the Colombian market in products such as wheat and corn, while Colombia's new trade neighbors have increased their share by 22%. Canada just approved its own Colombia deal, guaranteeing its products instant advantage over ours. The administration seems to be waking up to some of this."

— The Wall Street Journal, July 02, 2010

"Enter the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. It will level the playing field for American workers, farmers and companies by eliminating almost all of Panama's tariffs on American goods. The tariffs that Panama levies on U.S. goods often soar into the double digits, while nearly all U.S. tariffs on imports from Panama were eliminated years ago. The agreement will turn the U.S.-Panama trade relationship into a two-way street that benefits both countries."

— Roll Call, June 24, 2010

"The Colombia FTA is a comprehensive free trade agreement. When the Colombia FTA enters into force, Colombia will immediately eliminate most of its tariffs on U.S. exports, with all remaining tariffs phased out over defined time periods. The Colombia FTA also includes important disciplines relating to customs administration and trade facilitation, technical barriers to trade, government procurement, investment, telecommunications, electronic commerce, intellectual property rights, and labor and environmental protection."

— USTR, June 22, 2010

"The U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement would expand trade between the two countries, eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers, and promote economic growth. Approximately 88 percent of consumer and industrial products and more than 60 percent of agricultural commodities exported to Panama would enter duty-free"

— U.S. Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska, June 09, 2010

"Mrs. Clinton described Colombia as a reliable close ally of the US and promised Washington will continue as "a strong partner" of Colombia in the struggle against guerrillas and narco-traffickers. "United States will continue to support the Colombian people, the Colombian military, and their government in the ongoing struggle against the insurgents, the guerrillas, the narco-traffickers who would wish to turn the clock back," she said.Mrs Clinton added that bi-partisan US congressional support for the so-called Plan Colombia "has been an essential part of the success the Colombian people and this government have achieved" in dealing with security threats. The plan is "fully embraced" by Obama, she added."

— Merco Press, June 02, 2010

"If the FTA is implemented, Colombia will immediately eliminate tariffs on 81.8 percent of U.S. exports and phase out other remaining tariffs. Colombia already has duty-free entry for some 80 percent of its exports into the U.S. under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, so the FTA would mainly improve U.S. companies' ability to export to Colombia, Mr. Cadena noted."

— Global Atlanta, August 21, 2009

"American workers are understandably anxious. Their incomes went nowhere through six years of economic growth. Many are losing their jobs as the economy slips into recession. Yet concern about workers' plight should not lead Congressional Democrats to reject the trade agreement with Colombia. This deal would benefit the American economy and further the nation's broader interests in Latin America."

—The New York Times, April 12, 2008

"A vote for the Colombia deal would show Latin America that a staunch U.S. ally will be rewarded for improving its human rights record and resisting the anti-American populism of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez."
—The Washington Post, March 31, 2008

"Colombia mostly sends us petroleum and coal, as well as coffee beans, cut flowers and clothing. We sell them lots of oil-drilling equipment, construction machines, computers, corn and consumer goods…The dropping of tariffs of up to 20 percent would encourage Colombia to buy more Florida agricultural products, especially oranges and tomatoes."

—Tampa Tribune, March 1, 2008

"The Colombia trade deal would remove duties on all U.S. farm exports and 80 percent of other U.S. exports to the South American nation."
—Chicago Tribune, March 1, 2008

"Maybe the next president can get it done, but why wait? The United States and Colombia have signed a valuable, worthy trade pact. Get it done now."
—South Florida Sun-Sentinel, February 22, 2008

"The trade deal with Colombia also would serve the broader national interest. It would put U.S. businesses and their workers, and U.S. farmers, on an equal footing with their Colombian counterparts, who have been given duty-free access to the U.S. market for years. It would strengthen ties with Colombia and enhance U.S. influence in Latin America at a time when it is being aggressively challenged by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez."
—Orlando Sentinel, February 14, 2008

"Colombia is fighting a stubborn cocaine-fueled insurgency. Its government has managed to hold a Marxist drug-fueled rebellion at bay and is a strong U.S. ally. To leave them out of the trade partnership would be to betray a partner in democratic values… Congress should move quickly to pass the free trade pacts with Colombia and Panama and send Latin Americans the message that trade can lift everyone."
—Corpus Christi Caller-Times, December 9, 2007

"First, and foremost, the benefits of free trade are undeniable… After years of democratization in the nations of Latin America, Venezuela — under cultish leader Hugo Chavez — has been turning toward collectivization. Successful trade, one hopes, can only help to negate his status and foster market economies and greater freedom throughout the region."
—The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), December 9, 2007

"Ratification of the trade promotion agreement would help consolidate Colombia's progress by bringing jobs and income to its people… It's time for Democrats to drop their strained human rights objections to the Colombia trade promotion agreement and deal with it on its merits."
        —Washington Post, November 9, 2007

"A group of Democratic leaders from the Clinton administration and Congress recently sent a letter to Congressional Democrats pointing out that rejecting the trade agreements signed in Latin America 'would set back regional U.S. interests for a generation.' Their argument also works on a bigger map. It would be a folly for the United States to turn its back on trade."
        —The New York Times, November 7, 2007

''For Congress to now say that it is disgusted by the violence, particularly against one sector of the Colombia population, and to use that argument to undermine a free trade treaty, is a travesty.''
       —The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 29, 2007

''Few countries in the Western Hemisphere have shown as much improvement on human rights and international crime issues as Colombia, but Democrats threaten they'll kill that deal, too. That would have the odious effect of keeping some Colombian farmers in the illegal drug business. Reducing barriers to trade would give Colombian farmers a better incentive to sell legal agricultural products.''
       —The Detroit News, August 12, 2007

"Helping Colombia is in our national interest. It's about helping our strongest friend in the region, not about catering to a domestic interest group. Unless Congress wants to send a signal that the United States either doesn't care or doesn't know who its friends are — there are fewer every day — lawmakers should extend Mr. Uribe a helping hand instead of giving him the back of the hand."
       —Miami Herald, July 24, 2007

"Denying Colombia duty-free access to U.S. markets — and denying American exporters such access to Colombian markets — wouldn't improve human rights for the 44 million Colombians. The trade agreement should be approved."
—Chicago Tribune, June 23, 2007

"Offering the Colombians anything less than access to economic growth would be unfair and damaging not only to them, but to us.''
—San Francisco Chronicle, June 13, 2007

"Now the Democratic-controlled Congress is balking at passing a painstakingly negotiated free trade agreement with Colombia. This would be both a betrayal and a blunder — because free trade and economic growth are perhaps the only ways to help the country continue its progress from near-failed state to democratic government struggling toward a modicum of peace, prosperity and accountability after four decades of violence. Colombians will view rejection of the agreement as a repudiation of their hard work and proof that U.S. protectionism trumps American promises about friendship, security and joint prosperity."
—Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2007

"The twice-elected Mr. Uribe is the most far-sighted leader Colombia has had in decades, and his FTA is an attempt to align his country's future firmly with the hemisphere's free-market democracies. Peru, Panama and Colombia are saying they want to be America's political and economic partners. Do Democrats in Congress want to drive them into the arms of Mr. Chávez?"
—Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2007

"On a continent where anti-U.S. sentiment has been rising, Colombia is America's most steadfast friend."
—Chicago Sun Times, June 29, 2006

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