Date: 1982-12-17
Speaker: VANDER JAGT (republican)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of the legislation before us and to commend the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means. the gentleman from Florida (Mr. GiaoNs). for very painstakingly developing a bill that is an improvement over the Presidents proposals that have come to us. in a way that minimizes any potential damage to domestic industry and maximizes economic opportunity for the Caribbean. I also commend the distinguished chairman of the full Committee on Ways and Means. the gentleman from Illinois. for a beautiful blending of enlightened statesmanship and practical political wisdom in bringing to us a bill of which we can all be proud. providing great oportunity for freedom and for friendship in the Caribbean. Mr. Chairman. I believe if we. the proponents of the bill. could properly humanize and personalize and individualize the issue. that this bill would pass unanimously in this body. I do not think there is a Member in this body who. receiving a knock on his door and opening the door to find some travelers parched with thirst. asking for a couple of glasses of water. would say. "Do not bother me now. I am too busy with my own problems." and slam the door in their face. Yet. in an analogous way. that is really the situation that confronts us. Really. what is a pebble to an elephant is a mountain to a group of ants. We are being asked today possibly to sacrifice a pebble of protectionism. in order to deliver a gigantic mountain of economic opportunity for the nations of the Caribbean. We could take 18 of the 26 countries that are involved here. and they would fit altogether within the boundaries of the King Ranch in Texas. Ten of the countries have an annual budget that Is less than the budget of the Congress of the United States. Even if the worst fears of the opponents are realized. and it doubles and triples imports from the Caribbean. the total imports would still constitute only a fraction of 1 percent. of the imports into the United States of America. How can anything so tiny possibly be so important to the United States? Well. as has been stated. nearly half of our imports. more than twothirds of our imported energy. and more than half of our strategic materials so essential for our industrial production and jobs in the United States pass through the narrow confines of the Caribbean Basin. The economic help that is delivered is not even the most important thing. most important is the psychological and the symbolic help that will be delivered. It seems strange in this world where many of the political leaders of the world gain popularity and applause and votes riding on themes of antiAmericanism that most of the leaders in the nations of the Caribbean have recently been elected to office on a platform of friendship with the United States of America. I ask my colleagues. who are good politicians. to judge for themselves what it would do to the political capital of these leaders ir. the Caribbean trying to draw their countries away from Cuba and totalitarianism toward the United States and freedom if the headline on the front page of every paper in the Caribbean tomorrow. which rightfully or wrongly would be the case if we were to defeat this legislation. if the headline were. "United States House of Representatives Slams Door in Face of Caribbean Overtures for Friendship." At the same time we are voting for friendship for the Caribbean we can also vote for more jobs in the United States of America. There is no question that that is the case long term. Right now we have a $2 billion surplus with the nations involved in this initiative. In a recent study in Santo Domingo it was discovered there were products from 1.598 U.S. companies on the shelves in the stores in Santo Domingo to be sold to the people there: 350 firms were from New York. 148 firms from Illinois. and on and on and on. Obviously. anything that lifts the economy and the purchasing power of the people of the Caribbean is going to increase their purchases in the United States and. therefore. jobs here. OK. how about the short term. the immediate crisis with which we are all so greatly concerned? If the worst that the opponents fear actually happens and there is a tremendous influx of imports. it is going to take 1 or 2 years to gear up. How do they gear up? By purchasing equipment. machinery. merchandising. technology. marketing skills here in the United States of America. If this passes. and if it has the impact that the opponents fear. that means immediate infusion of purchases and orders and. therefore. jobs in the United States of America. So I sincerely hope that as this lameduck session waddles into the night that we will be able to vote for this initiative and go home for the holidays confident that we have made the right vote. the right vote for jobs.. short term and long term. and we have made a vote that gives to the people of the Caribbean the thing that they are desperately yearning and longing for. a chance for friendship with the United States of America and for a sharing of a tiny portion of that great American dream.