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The President travelled to New Orleans continuing his push in
support of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Speaking before an
enthusiastic crowd, Clinton spoke of NAFTA not only being good for
American jobs, "but the opportunity for us to get off the defensive in
our economic policies and go on the offensive and try to build a world
in which there are more opportunities for Americans not only for good
jobs, but for growing incomes."
Returning to the port that President Kennedy had dedicated three
decades earlier, the President spoke of Kennedy's "vision of America
that knew no limits; who believed that we ought to face our challenges,
that we ought to look outward to the world, that we shouldn't hunker
down; that we compete and win with any people anywhere on Earth. It is
time that we reestablish that belief, that conviction, that commitment."
President Clinton was joined at the event by Senator John Breaux,
Governor Edwin Edwards, and eight House members.
Nine members of the Cabinet fanned out across the country to
join the President in promoting the benefits of NAFTA. They will be
conducting scores of press interviews, and meeting with community
leaders in a dozen cities: Bentsen--Chicago; Babbitt--San Francisco,
San Jose and Los Angeles; Browner--Orlando; Tyson--Boston;
Cisneros--Baltimore; Brown--Pittsburgh; Pena--Miami; Reich--New York;
Espy--St. Louis.
Environmental Groups Join VP Gore, Sen. Baucus to Endorse NAFTA
Six national environmental groups endorsed NAFTA in a meeting
with Vice-President Gore, Senator Max Baucus, EPA Administrator Carol
Browner and USTR Mickey Kantor on Capitol Hill yesterday. Speaking to
the gathering, Sen. Baucus said that NAFTA "is truly a new breed of
trade pact. NAFTA certainly makes progress on commercial fronts; but,
unlike any other trade agreement, it also protects the interests of the
environment and labor."
Endorsing groups: National Wildlife Federation; World
Wildlife Fund; Audubon Society; Environmental Defense Fund; Natural
Resources Defense Council; Conservation International.
NAFTA Fact
On June 21, General Motors and the United Auto Workers
announced that GM would shift 800 to 1000 jobs building Chevy Cavaliers
from Mexico to its plant in Lansing, Mi. to serve growing demand in the
U.S. and Canadian markets.