THE OPEN BORDERS CROWD:

The Colombia Trade Deal: A Different Kind of Jobs Bill: Colombian goods already have low-tariff access to the U.S. market. So why not help U.S. exporters by opening up theirs? (MAX BAUCUS AND JOHN KERRY, 4/03/11, WSJ)

The International Trade Commission estimates the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, or FTA, will increase U.S. exports by more than $1 billion a year. To the farmers and workers whose jobs these exports would help sustain, that's much more than a statistic. To help our economy continue to recover, we should unite around a trade agenda that includes approval of this FTA and extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance for American workers.

Colombia is an important trading partner for American farmers, businesses and workers. But our exporters face a disadvantage because Colombia maintains tariffs on U.S. products while Colombian products have nearly complete access to U.S. markets.

U.S. farmers face an average tariff of roughly 30% in Colombia. U.S. manufacturers face an effective tariff rate of 14%. And nearly 90% of these manufacturers are the small and medium-sized businesses we count on to create jobs and continue moving our economy forward. The Colombia FTA will eliminate tariffs for U.S. exports and level the playing field.

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