Details concerning the CAFTA (US/Central America Free Trade Agreement) fast track

TELL CONGRESS TO STOP FAST TRACK,
The FTAA, & CAFTA - Central America Free Trade Agreement!

On May 23-24 trade ministers from Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica) and the US will be meeting in Guatemala in the next round of negotiations on the US/Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

What is CAFTA? 
The US/Central America Free Trade Agreement is a free trade agreement modeled after NAFTA, the North America Free Trade Agreement, which has been devastating for workers in Canada, the US and Mexico.  If passed, CAFTA would roll back labor and human rights throughout Central America and the US, it would erode environmental protection, and it would push
more people into poverty while increasing the wealth of an elite few.  President Bush has stated that CAFTA is a priority for completing the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas)!

Fast Track and CAFTA:
The US Senate, a bastion of free-traders, will vote on Fast Track Wednesday and will almost certainly pass it.   However, after Senate passage, it will go to Conference committee, and then back to the House for a SECOND VOTE.

Granting Bush Fast Track will give him authority to negotiate free trade agreements (including CAFTA and the FTAA) and bring them before Congress for a simple majority vote, with limited discussion, and no possibility for amendments.

People from throughout Central America have been demonstrating against US-imposed neoliberal economic policies, including CAFTA and the FTAA, that force working-people deeper into poverty.  They call on our support
and solidarity to stop Fast Track and CAFTA!

Status of Fast Track:
Fast Track is on its way to passage in the Senate.  Due to maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, the Senate will vote on Fast Track on Wednesday. Senator Daschle is filing for cloture on a vote on final passage on Monday -- cloture petitions take 2 days to "ripen" and then there is a vote.  What this means in English is that the Senate will vote on Fast Track on Wednesday come hell or high water (Daschle is basically shutting down debate).

Since the bill that will pass the Senate is different from the bill that passed the House last year, the two different versions will have to be merged in a "conference committee." Then a final merged bill goes back to the House for a second vote.  We've been looking forward to this opportunity since the Fast Track Bill passed the House by JUST ONE VOTE last year!

THE SECOND HOUSE VOTE IS OURS TO WIN!

WHY?  The mood of Congress has changed since Fast Track scraped through the House last December.  Some Members of Congress want to switch their votes this time around.   There were a few who only voted for Fast Track because they "wanted to support the wartime President."  There were a few who got deals and promises in exchange for their votes - deals that
haven't panned out and promises that have been broken. We can and must switch these votes!  And then there are a few more Members who did the right thing and opposed Fast Track last December, but have gotten so much pressure from the Administration and from Big Bizness, that they're now thinking of supporting it.  We can and must hold on to these
Members!

HOW?  Your Representatives must hear from you regularly, continually, loudly, clearly until the final House vote!  Thank them daily if they opposed Fast Track last year.  If they voted for it, make sure they daily regret it and reconsider. Check www.tradewatch.org/fasttrack to
see how your Representative voted!

WHEN?  Your Reps will be travelling around the district, in the district office and doing local events for TEN DAYS during Memorial Day Recess (5/24/02-6/3/02). NOW is the time to hound them to vote NO on Fast Track!

TAKE ACTION!
1. Call your Representative: 877-611-0063 is the toll-free number (sponsored by the AFL-CIO) (If you don't know who your Rep is, call anyway.  The operator will connect you.) Find out how your Rep voted on Fast Track - If they voted against it, thank them and ask them to vote NO when it comes up for a new vote!  If they voted for it, express your disappointment and tell them that you will think twice about voting for them in November.

Ask him or her to:
*Vote NO on Fast Track
* Vote NO on the US/Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the FTAA when they come before the House
* Demand full disclosure and transparency of the CAFTA and FTAA negotiations

3. Schedule recess meetings with your Reps and get a coalition of people to go with you!  (For a sample meeting request letter see http://www.citizen.org/trade/fasttrack/action/articles.cfm?ID=5546)

For information on how your Representative or Senator has voted on previous free trade issues, check out Public Citizen's Vote Chart at http://action.citizen.org/.  To find out who your Rep or Senator is, you can also check out www.congress.gov.

For more information on CAFTA, go to: http://www.cispes.org

The Nicaragua Network Web Page is: www.nicanet.org