Senate Battle Over FTA
Senate Battle Over FTA
Date: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 1:23 PM
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
www.ZaZona.com
Roy Beck of NumbersUSA sent an urgent update on the Senate battle over
the Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Beck discusses my
"wormhole" theory, and much to my disappointment, he has confirmed the
theory has merit (I would prefer to be proved wrong on this one). The
Inquirer did a great job of explaining the wormhole theory so I
included their article.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10595
US government "shafting working Americans"
CAFTA bill could lose jobs at home
By INQUIRER staff: Monday 21 July 2003, 11:51
A REPORT FROM ginger group ZaZona claims that a practically unnoticed
agreement that will endorse free trade agreements with Singapore and
Chile is the thin end of what could turn into an "Armageddon" for US
workers.
According to the newsletter ZaZona distributes, the CAFTA agreements
currently under discussion in Congress, with Chile and Singapore, mean
that a "W" visa will allow nearly 7,000 people from these countries to
work in the US indefinitely.
But, Zazonaeditor Rob Sanchez claims, in addition to the 5,400 visas
Singapore will get under the deal, it will be able to send "unlimited"
numbers of workers to the US.
The free trade agreement means that US employers no longer have to
prove that jobs cannot be performed by an American citizen.
According to ZaZona, George W. Bush says on his web site that Singapore
is working on free trade agreements with Japan, Canada, Australia,
Mexico and India.
The editor of the newsletter claims that means Singapore will act like
a virtual black hole, and its "immense gravity will pull people into a
wormhole that ends at the United States".
He adds: "Bush is celebrating 'Christmas in July' by giving a huge
present to his inner circle of power brokers and CEOs while shafting
working Americans".
Sanchez told the INQUIRER that the whole problem is not being fairly
discussed in the United States press.
He says that Dianne Feinstein, the doyenne of the sound bite, has hit
out against the proposed free trade agreements on her web site, but,
unusually, she's getting little press on the matter.
He added: "It appears that US politicians have decided not to discuss
these two FTAs in public. They don't want the public to find out until
it is approved. One day the American public will wake up and realize
they have been hoodwinked - but they won't be able to change it". 5
L'INQ
ZaZona
> -----Original Message-----
> From: RoyBeck@numbersusa.com [mailto:RoyBeck@numbersusa.com]
> Subject: UPDATE: Senate & open-immigration trade bills
DATE: 3 p.m. Monday 28jul03
Here's the latest with events developing quickly. If you are inclined,
one more round of calls to your Senators could still make a difference
in one of several ways. See the ACTION item at the end of this email
on what to stress in the calls.
1. TEMPORARY HOLD ON SENATE VOTES
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has put a "hold" on the Singapore and Chile
free trade bills that would provide unlimited L-1 visas to tech and
professional workers.
A hold means that a debate and roll call vote of 60 or more votes is
required to move the hold (unless the person placing it in the first
place removes it).
This is a sign of Sessions' great loyalty to American workers and his
courage to take on his party's occupant of the White House like this.
Nonetheless, the effect is limited. Unlike most legislation that can
be held up until compromises are met, free trade agreements are set up
so that you cannot amend them and so that they go into effect UNLESS
one of the houses of Congress votes them down.
Still, Sessions has gotten the attention of the GOP leadership that
there are serious problems with these agreements (which the House
passed last week with some pledges of modification from the White
House).
2. SENSE OF SENATE RESOLUTION BEING PUSHED TO CHASTISE WHITE HOUSE
Sessions' hold has bought a little time for him and other opponents of
the open-immigration agreement to try to push through a Sense of the
Senate resolution decrying the agreements.
He has assembled a strong bi-partisan group of sponsors, something that
should at least be an embarrassment to the White House.
They are:
REPUBLICANS:
SESSIONS (AL)
KYL (AZ)
CRAIG (ID)
GRAHAM (SC)
CHAMBLISS (GA)
DEMOCRATS:
FEINSTEIN (CA)
FEINGOLD (WI)
BYRD (WV)
DORGAN (ND)
KOHL (WI)
DAYTON (MN)
MIKULSKI (MD)
These people are assembled because they believe Pres. Bush has usurped
congressional authority to set immigration policy. As you can see,
several almost never are on our side on an immigration issue. But it is
good to get support even on this narrow measure.
Nine of the sponsors are Members of the Judiciary Committee (including
the immigration chairman).
The effect if this passes will be to accentuate several-fold the power
of having supporters of the bills on the House floor last week publicly
stating that the White House promised not to put these immigration
provisions in future trade agreements with other countries.
The vote on this resolution (full text printed below) may come yet
today.
3. WHAT PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION COULD MEAN
Free Trade bills have such a religious status in Congress these days
that many Senators will vote for these even thought they think they are
terrible. But the thought is that the majority of Senators may vote
for this resolution that says the President has no right to negotiate
immigration policy in these agreements.
In other words, many Senators may vote for a resolution that says "the
trade agreements I will vote for stink."
It also may cause the White House to administer the L-1 program in a
way that will keep the Singapore and Chile trade agreements from
opening a floodgate of tech workers into our labor markets and
communities.
Sessions will probably release his hold on the trade bills if the GOP
leadership allows the resolution to come to the floor. Then those votes
may come on Tuesday.
4. FIGHTING THE IMPOSSIBLE BATTLE WITH THE WORMHOLE THEORY
The extreme long shot of sending these trade bills back to the
negotiating table is bolstered by the work of NumbersUSA and tech
groups in spreading the word about the "Wormhole Theorgy."
This theory was raised last week at www.Zazona.com.
His research suggested that the U.S. trade agreement with Singapore
will provide a "wormhole" through which all the tech workers in India
can pass to take American jobs. While Singapore is a small country,
India has more than a billion people with huge numbers of
English-speaking tech workers trying to enter the U.S. job markets.
Our NumbersUSA research confirms that employees of Singapore companies
would not have to be Singapore citizens to have unlimited access to L-1
visas to the U.S. That leaves room for incredible fraud through
setting up Singapore companies with tens of thousands of Indian workers
who could be sent to the U.S. in "intra-company" transfers, because of
trade agreements between India and Singapore.
NumbersUSA has been distributing this information to key Senatorial
staff all day and has found several Senators erupting into fury about
this latest sign of the recklessness (or intentional misbehavior) of
the Bush trade reps.
Because of this, we still hold out the slightest hope that 51 Senators
could vote to send these agreements back to the table.
5. ACTION------A few more calls
If you are going to call Senate offices again (or for the first time),
consider emphasizing the wormhole problem.
If the staffer argues with you about the facts, tell them to call the
offices of either Sen. Feinstein or Sen. Sessions to confirm the
situation.
Phone numbers are at:
http://www.numbersusa.com/congressinfo/
If your own Senator is one sponsoring the resolution, you might want to
place the shortest of calls to congratulate and ask for a NO vote on
the bills, based on the wormhole revelation.
6. TEXT OF SENSE OF SENATE RESOLUTION
_______________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the temporary entry
provisions in the Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreements.
Whereas the transmittal of the legislation implementing the Chile and
Singapore Free Trade Agreements to the Senate on July 15,2003,was
preceded by debate over whether temporary entry provisions in both the
underlying language of the Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreements
and in the implementing legislation should be included;
Whereas article I,section 8,clause 3 of the Constitution authorizes
Congress to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations,and among the
several States ,and article I, section 8,clause 4 of the
Constitution provides that Congress shall have power to establish
an uniform Rule of Naturalization ;
Whereas the Supreme Court has long interpreted these provisions of the
Constitution to grant Congress plenary power over immigration policy;
Whereas members of the Senate often disagree about immigration
policy,but agree that the formulation of immigration policy belongs to
Congress;and
Whereas the practice of negotiating temporary entry provisions in the
context of bilateral or multilateral trade agreements curtails the
ability of Congress to regulate the Nation s immigration
policies,including the admission of foreign nationals:
Now,therefore,be it Resolved,That it is the sense of the Senate that
(1)trade agreements are not the appropriate vehicle for enacting
immigration-related laws or modifying current immigration policy;and
(2)future trade agreements to which the United States is a party and
the legislation implementing the agreements should not contain
immigration-related provisions.
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Rob Sanchez is board member of NAEA - www.NAEA.US
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