Diaz-Balart on the U.S. - Colombia Free Trade Agreement
Washington, D.C. –Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement regarding the administration’s decision to act upon the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Diaz-Balart comments:
“An agreement between the U.S. and Colombia has been long overdue; the Obama administration’s failure to act on a deal that has been ready since 2007, has been at the expense of American jobs. Colombia is one of America’s closest democratic allies in our hemisphere and it is in our national security interest to pass the FTA. Colombia has taken significant strides in recent years enhancing human and labor rights, training Afghan officials and Mexican law enforcement, and combating illegal drug trade.
“It is about time for the administration to finalize a deal and recognize the considerable reforms Colombia has made over the past decade. The Colombia deal demonstrates solidarity with our neighbor, creates jobs in Florida and across the country, and provides business opportunities for American companies to invest and grow.
“The Colombia FTA would not be possible without the leadership of Speaker Boehner, Chairman Camp, and Chairman Brady for conditioning the passage of the South Korea agreement with the Colombia and Panama agreements. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the agreements move forward quickly to create jobs and promote economic growth.”
NOTE: In 2009, Diaz-Balart co-founded and co-chaired the Congressional Caucus on Colombia. Last month, Diaz-Balart joined a CODEL led by Congresswoman Granger that visited Colombia, Panama, Guatemala, and Mexico.