President Bush Meets with U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Discusses Trade

March 12, 2008,THE PRESIDENT:  Gracias.  Thank you.  Siéntese.  Gracias mi amigo, David.  Thank you for having me back yet again to speak.  This is an opportunity de practicar mi Español -- (laughter) -- of course, a lot of people say I ought to be spending more time practicing my English.  (Laughter.)  But I'm thrilled to be with you.  (Applause.),I really love the entrepreneurial spirit in all communities.  And it's evident in the Latino community.  As you know, I'm blessed to be a Texan and I got to see firsthand, as governor, the unbelievable initiative and drive of Hispanics who lived in my state.  And it's the same thing all across the country.  And so part of the purpose for me to come is to thank you for your helping others realize the blessings of owning a small business; thanks for creating jobs; thanks for setting good examples; and thanks for being my friend.,David, as you know, I've been to the Hispanic Chamber, I think this is my third time -- but I know a lot of you personally.  And this may be my farewell address to the Hispanic Chamber as President, but it's certainly not going to be my farewell to you as a friend.  (Applause.),I thank not only David, but Augie Martinez.  I thank the directors of the Hispanic Chamber.  I thank my old buddy, Hector Barreto, who is here with us.  (Applause.)  Michael Barrera, thank you both -- appreciate you, Miguel.  (Applause.),And then there are members of my Cabinet have come because today I'm going to discuss with you a very serious issue, an issue that matters a lot to your future and the future of this country.  And so I welcome Secretary of Defense Bob Gates.  (Applause.)  Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson.  (Applause.)  Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer.  (Applause.)  Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.  (Applause.)  Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor, is with us.  (Applause.)  Susan Schwab, of the USTR, Trade Representative is with us.  (Applause.)  This is not a Cabinet meeting.  (Laughter.),These are people who are here to put an exclamation point on the subject I'm going to discuss with you today.  So I thank you all for coming.  I appreciate your time.,I also want to welcome Carolina Barco, who is the Ambassador from Colombia.  (Applause.)  And other members of the Diplomatic Corps that have joined us.,A lot has changed since I first spoke to this group.  I had to face some very difficult spending decisions and I've had to conduct sensitive diplomacy.  That's called planning for a wedding.  (Laughter.)  La boda -- (laughter) -- de mi niñita.  (Laughter.),I really appreciate the fact that we work together.  I just want to review a couple of issues that have made a difference.  First of all, we worked together to launch a period of sustained economic growth.  I remember meeting with some right after the attacks and we were wondering whether or not our economy could withstand a terrorist attack -- after all, a recession was in place just as I came into office, then the terrorists attacked, then we had corporate scandals.,And a lot of folks were wondering whether or not this economy would be resilient enough to withstand those pressures.  And it turns out it was.  And I want to thank you very much for supporting the tax cuts plans that had good effect on small businesses all across the United States during that period of time.  I think when people take a look back at this moment in our economic history, they'll recognize tax cuts work.  They have made a difference.,And this is what we're doing again.  We've entered another period of difficult times.  I am confident in the long term for the United States' economy.  I know we're resilient.  I know we're entrepreneurial.  I know we'll withstand these times.  I want to thank you for supporting the economic stimulus package that we passed, which provides strong incentives for small businesses to expand and will put money into the pockets of the people who earned it.,Secretary Paulson has assured me -- he's a "can-do" guy -- that the checks will be coming into the mail in the second week of May.  The other thing I do want to assure you of is that if Congress tries to raise taxes, I'm going to veto it.  We don't need tax increases.  (Applause.),I appreciate your strong support on No Child Left Behind.  We agreed that a system that just simply moves children through without measuring is inexcusable.  You recognized early that many Latino kids were denied, you know, the great promise of America because they didn't get the good education that we expect.  And so we confronted this business about giving up on kids early.  We demand accountability.  We spent more money, but in return for the increased money, we expect schools to measure and we expect schools to correct problems early, before it's too late.,No Child Left Behind is working.  We've measured 4th grade -- Hispanic 4th graders have set new records when it comes to reading and math.  So rather than weakening No Child Left Behind, the United States Congress needs to strengthen No Child Left Behind for the sake of all our children.  And I want to thank you for your support.  (Applause.),A federal contracting process is open to more small and minority-owned businesses, thanks to our SBA guys who have been running the show, Steve and Hector.  And we'll continue that practice of making sure that there's fairness when it comes to federal contracting.,I appreciate your support on immigration law.  (Applause.)  I'm sorry that -- you know, I'm disappointed that Congress missed a good opportunity to uphold our values and uphold our laws at the same time.  And I'm confident that the day will come when a President signs an immigration bill that secures our borders, respect our laws, and treats people with dignity.  (Applause.),And now I want to discuss trade with you.  It's a sensitive subject in America, and it's an important subject.  As business leaders, you understand that breaking down barriers to trade and investment creates opportunities for our workers, for American workers, and employees, and employers, and consumers.  Trade adds to our prosperity, but as importantly, it adds to the prosperity our trading partners.  We want people who are interested in our goods and services to do well economically.  We believe that the world benefits when prosperity is abundant throughout the world.,Trade also serves a broader strategic purpose.  When we enter into free trade agreements, we reinforce commitments to democracy, and transparency, and rule of law.  By promoting a future of freedom and progress and hope, we create an alternative vision to those of the terrorists and extremists who prey on societies trapped in poverty and despair.  In other words, trade helps democracies flourish; it helps enhance prosperity.  And that helps us in our national security concerns.,My administration has made expanding trade a high priority.  When I took office, America had free trade agreements in force with just three nations.  Isn't that interesting?  Just three countries.  Today we have agreements in force with 14, and Congress recently approved another one with Perú.  Three more agreements are on Congress' agenda this year:  Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.  All three are important, and the agreement with Colombia is especially urgent.,For more than a year, my administration has worked with both parties in Congress to seek a path to bring this agreement up for approval.  We continue to stand ready to negotiate a bipartisan way forward.  But time is running out, and we must not allow delay to turn into inaction.  The Colombia agreement is pivotal to America's national security and economic interests right now, and it is too important to be held up by politics.  There needs to be a vote on Colombia this year.  (Applause.),And that means that members of the Congress must be ready to move forward with the agreement when they return from the Easter recess.  Members of both parties should work with this administration to bring legislation to implement the Colombia agreement to the floor for approval, and they need to get the job done, and get a bill to my desk. ,And I'll tell you why -- because this agreement with Colombia will advance our national security and economic interests, in these ways:  Colombia is one of our closest allies in the Western Hemisphere.  Under the leadership of President Uribe, Colombia has been a strong and capable partner, a strong and effective partner in fighting drugs and crime and terror.  Colombia has also strengthened its democracy, reformed its economy.  It has spoken out against anti-Americanism.  This government has made hard choices that deserves the admiration and the gratitude of the United States.  (Applause.),These actions have required courage, and they've come with costs.  As we speak, Colombia is under assault from a terrorist network known as the FARC, which aims to overthrow Colombia's democracy and aims to impose a Marxist vision on the country.  The FARC pursues this objective through bombing, hostage-taking and assassination, much of it funded by drug trafficking.  Since 2003 -- since 2003 -- attacks by the FARC have killed or injured more than 1,500 civilians.  Last summer the FARC executed 11 Colombian lawmakers after holding them captive for five years.  And the FARC continues to use jungle camps to hold hundreds of kidnapped victims, including three U.S. citizens.,President Uribe has waged an aggressive campaign against FARC terrorists, who do not respect national sovereignty or borders.  Earlier this month, Colombian forces killed one of FARC's most senior leaders -- a man believed to be responsible for trafficking cocaine and murdering hundreds of people.,And the response to all this action reveals the challenges that Colombia faces.  The President of Venezuela praised the terrorist leader as a "good revolutionary," and ordered his troops to the Colombian border.  This is the latest step in a disturbing pattern of provocative behavior by the regime in Caracas.  It has also called for FARC terrorists to be recognized as a legitimate army, and senior regime officials have met with FARC leaders in Venezuela.,As it tries to expand its influence in Latin America, the regime claims to promote social justice.  In truth, its agenda amounts to little more than empty promises and a thirst for power.  It has squandered its oil wealth in an effort to promote its hostile, anti-American vision.  And it has left its own citizens to face food shortages while it threatens its neighbors.,The stakes are high in South America.  As the recent standoff in the Andes shows, the region is facing an increasingly stark choice:  to quietly accept the vision of the terrorists and the demagogues, or to actively support democratic leaders like President Uribe.  I've made my choice.  I'm standing with courageous leadership that believes in freedom and peace.  (Applause.)  And I believe when the American people hear the facts, they will make their choice and stand with a person who loves liberty and freedom.,And there is no clearer sign of our support than a free trade agreement.  This agreement would help President Uribe show his people that democracy leads to tangible benefits.  This agreement would help create new jobs in Colombia, which would make it harder to recruit people to violence and terrorism and drug trafficking.  The agreement would signal to the region that America's commitment to free markets and free people is unshakable.,And now it calls on Congress to decide -- to decide whether this agreement will take effect.  People across the hemisphere are watching.  They are waiting to see what Congress will do.  Some members of Congress have raised concerns over the situation in Colombia.,Again and again, President Uribe has responded decisively.  He's responded to concerns about violence by demobilizing tens of thousands of paramilitary fighters.  He's responded to concerns about attacks on trade unionists by stepping up funding for prosecutions, establishing an independent prosecutors unit, and creating a special program to protect labor activists.  He's responded to concerns over labor and environmental standards by revising the free trade agreement to include some of the most rigorous protections of any agreement in history.,As one Democratic House member put it, it's impossible for someone to go to Colombia and not be impressed with the strides they have made.  Ladies and gentlemen, if this isn't enough to earn America's support, then what is?  If Congress were to reject the agreement with Colombia, we would validate antagonists in Latin America, who would say that the America cannot be trusted to stand by its friends.  We would cripple our influence in the region, and make other nations less likely to cooperate with us in the future.  We would betray one of our closest friends in our own backyard.,In the words of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, "If the U.S. turns its back on its friends in Colombia, this will set back our cause far more than any Latin America dictator could hope to achieve."  Congress needs to listen to those wise words as they consider this important bill.  Members of both parties should come together, members of both parties should demonstrate their support for freedom in our hemisphere, and members of both parties should prove the -- approve the Colombian free trade agreement.  (Applause.),These strategic benefits are not the only reason for Congress to approve our trade agreement with Colombia.  The agreement will also bring economic gains for both countries.  Today virtually all exports from Colombia enter into the United States duty-free, but U.S. exports to Colombia face tariffs up to 35 percent.  Now think about that:  Goods coming from Colombia to us enter our country virtually duty-free, and yet goods going from the United States to Colombia are taxed.