“Today in Nicaragua we are not living with a war of bullets or bombs, but we are living with an economic war, a war of poverty, of hunger, of violations of our human and labor rights. Economic policies like CAFTA are killing us little by little, and this is almost worse for us as Nicaraguans.” 

-- Ligia Ivonne Jirón Gaitan, Nicaraguan Speaker in WFP Northwest
Open Letter to the United States Congress, May 5, 2005.

CAFTA, the expansion of NAFTA into Central America was signed a year ago, but it was not brought to Congress for lack of support. Now, the Administration has decided to go for broke and push a vote.

CAFTA hit the floor of the Senate hours before the July 4th recess- after nearly 10 hours of debate the trade agreement passed the Senate by a vote of 54-45 - the closest margin on a trade agreement in over two decades. The pressure is now on! All eyes are on the House- where this unfair trade agreement can be stopped!

TAKE ACTION NOW:

1) CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON!
Toll Free Number: 1-866-340-9281 (Provided by the United Steelworkers)
Make an easy, toll free call, give the Capitol Switchboard operator your zip code to be connected to your Rep's office. Tell the office you want your Rep to vote NO on CAFTA and ask for a response letter or email stating the Rep's position.

2) MEET WITH YOUR CONGRESSPERSON OR THEIR STAFF
Try to schedule a visit in the home office during this week or in Washington DC if you happen to be in the area- if that doesn't work feel free to drop by and tell a staff member in person that you want your member of Congress to vote no on CAFTA.  

3) BE CREATIVE
Set up a table at your local carnival and have folks leave messages for their Representatives on CAFTA. Pay special attention to members of Congress who have publicly announced they will vote for the agreement- maybe hold a vigil in front of their offices letting them know there is still time to change their minds. You could also use the calendar of reflection on CAFTA (www.tradejusticeusa.org) and hold a vigil in front of your Rep's district office or merely to raise the issue of CAFTA within your community of faith.

4) TELL US WHERE YOUR CONGRESSPERSON STANDS!
Email Holly Miller, Witness for Peace National Grassroots Organizer with any info: holly@witnessforpeace.org

5) LEARN MORE ABOUT CAFTA AND TELL A FRIEND!
Check out of our coalition partner websites at www.tradewatch.org/cafta, www.stopcafta.org or www.tradejusticeusa.org  

The White House is struggling to get CAFTA passed. The Administration and Republican party leaders did exactly what they wanted having the Senate pass CAFTA just before the July 4th recess- now there is lots of pressure on members of the House- where the agreement will face it's toughest opponents. The House is where we will stop the Free Trade Model for good!

Despite the clear record of NAFTA disaster -- over 860,000 good jobs lost specifically to NAFTA, declining U.S. wages, 1.3 million Mexican farmers' livelihoods destroyed by NAFTA farm rules, attacks on state and local public interest laws in closed trade tribunals, an exploding U.S. trade deficit and a toxic environment along the U.S.-Mexico border, the Bush Administration and their allies are pushing for more of the same. They hope to foist the failed NAFTA model on six of the poorest countries in our hemisphere with CAFTA including: Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. 

We can win, but only if we keep the pressure on. Your House Member is facing a major lobbying blitz from Big Business and the Bush Administration they need to hear from you as well!

CALL NOW: Let Congress know that constituents don't support deals that hurt our communities at home and abroad.

Use this script and talking points to help convey your message to your representative:

"Hello, my name is _______ and I live in _______. I'm calling to ask Representative _______ to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). I am deeply concerned about CAFTA and believe that the agreement will have terrible consequences for Central America, the Dominican Republic and our own country.

If passed CAFTA will threaten the livelihoods of millions of small farmers in Central America and the Dominican Republic, while increasing domination by agricultural monopolies and hurting U.S. family farmers

It threatens to prevent access to affordable life saving medicines in a region where half the population live in poverty. 

It will prohibit governments in the region from ensuring that foreign investment serves national development goals, and has a provision like NAFTA's Chapter 11 that would allow foreign corporations to sue governments that pass strong labor, public health or environmental laws.

It does NOT include adequate enforcement for violations of internationally recognized labor and environmental standards.

It includes rules that promote privatization and deregulation of services including education, health care, postal service, construction, transportation and water supply. Such policies have proved particularly devastating for families living in poverty.

CAFTA will pave the way for more trade agreements such as the Andean Free Trade Agreement and the Free Trade Area of the Americas which would extend this flawed model to the whole Western Hemisphere.

After 10 years of NAFTA, we know firsthand the devastating effects of this economic model. Expanding it in CAFTA ultimately threatens workers, farmers, women, the environment, and democratic institutions in the U.S. and the region. I strongly urge Representative_________ to stand up for trade justice by voting NO to CAFTA in Congress and sending the message to the Administration that U.S. trade policies must promote fair trade and sustainable development policies designed to reduce poverty in the U.S. and the
region.”