The two Congressmen who represent the area generally covered by The Turner Report, Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt, R-Strafford, and Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton, D-Strafford, played key roles in the passage of CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement), wire service reports are saying.
Blunt, in his position as majority whip, was responsible for lining up votes for the agreement, which was pushed by President Bush, while Skelton was one of just 15 Democrats who voted for it. The bill passed by a slim 217-215 majority and is headed to the president for his signature.
"This was a national security vote and that was the selling point in the House," Blunt is quoted in AP and Gannett News Service articles. Opponents fear this bill is great for big business and bad for American workers.
"It is a step backward for workers in Central America and a job-killer here at home,"House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, told Gannett News Service.
"It's not a big market. It's like having a free trade agreement with New Jersey," Blunt told AP.
Apparently, Blunt had a big role in some trade agreements of his own. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch quotes him as saying "it didn't hurt" to have the $286.5 billion highway bill, loaded with projects that would help House members in their districts, still on the calendar as votes were being collected.
The Post-Dispatch noted that Skelton has supported previous trade agreements, but CAFTA opponents had hoped to put him in their column. He said he based his vote on national security, adding that a vote against the agreement would have sent the wrong message when Americans are abroad fighting for democracy.
In the article, Skelton is quoted as saying, "We have a chance to reinforce democracies in the region. This is the moment to move forward and to help those leaders who want to modernize and humanize their countries."
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