Oman Trade Deal Heads to House Vote: Call Your Member of Congress

by James Parks, Jul 19, 2006

With the House set to vote as early as tomorrow on the Oman Free Trade Agreement (OFTA), congressional opponents are warning the deal could jeopardize U.S. port security.

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) says the pact would allow companies such as Dubai Ports World, which had to abandon plans to buy terminal operation rights at major U.S. ports earlier this year, to purchase port operations by establishing a shell company in Oman:

If Dubai Ports World set up in Oman and then attempts to acquire a U.S. port operation and Congress intervenes…(the OFTA) would empower Dubai Ports World to drag the United States before the U.N. or World Bank tribunals to demand we compensate the firm for lost profits.

Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine) says:

It’s bad enough that we’re asked to support agreements that would shift more jobs overseas…but it is simply unacceptable to ask Congress to support legislation that would essentially undermine the security of our nation.

The Senate approved the latest bad Bush administration trade deal last month by 60–34. A coalition that includes the AFL-CIO and more than 350 labor, religious, consumer, farm and environmental groups oppose the Bush administration-negotiated OFTA because it lacks strong and enforceable labor and environmental standards and likely will cost jobs in the United States and lower living standards for workers in Oman.

David Sirota reports on workingforchange blog that:

To date, a number of Democratic lawmakers have yet to say how they will vote on the Oman pact. Corporate lobbyists are aggressively targeting the 15 Democrats who last year capitulated to Big Money’s demands and backed the corporate-written Central American Free Trade Agreement. They are also targeting members of the New Democratic Coalition - the group of Democrats most closely affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council.

This vote is going to be extremely close—and bought-off lawmakers
are scrambling to hide and/or obscure the details of these national
security provisions.

There’s still time to stop this bad deal. Take action and call your representative through the U.S. Capitol switchboard, 1-202-224-3121, and tell her or him to vote “No” on the Oman Free Trade Agreement.

Tell your representative:

• Oman bans labor unions and has been cited by the U.S. State Department for human trafficking and forced labor.
• The OFTA gives foreign corporations more rights than U.S. citizens because it allows any company incorporated in Oman to sue the U.S. government in a secret tribunal, demanding payment from our tax dollars, if the company feels that any U.S. government policy is restricting their ability to make profit.
• OFTA could undermine U.S. national security by promoting rights for foreign companies, including government-owned companies, to operate our
  sensitive infrastructure such as electricity grids, port operations and more.

Print This Article | E-Mail This Article |Comments (0)