U.S. Chamber Hails Final Passage of DR-CAFTA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce today applauded House passage of the U.S.-Dominican Republic/Central American Free Trade Agreement
(DR-CAFTA) and praised lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for voting in the interests of democracy in the region and economic growth here at home.

"DR-CAFTA was a top legislative priority of ours for good reason – it means increased opportunities for all Americans and a chance for the countries in Central America and the Dominican Republic to grow and prosper," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber President and CEO. "This vote recognizes the enormous potential that DR-CAFTA represents and finally levels the playing field for U.S. workers, businesses and farmers."

The Chamber has spearheaded advocacy efforts on DR-CAFTA both in Washington and at the grassroots level for more than two years, building a coalition of 650 businesses and associations, sponsoring events in select cities across the nation with leaders from Central America and the Dominican Republic and hosting fly-ins and meetings with policy leaders on Capitol Hill. The Chamber also researched and authored economic impact studies for 15 states analyzing how DR-CAFTA would affect local economies and job growth.

Leading up to the votes in the Senate and House of Representatives, the Chamber's DC lobbying team and eight regional offices organized dozens of meetings in members' districts and rallied DR-CAFTA supporters to lobby their own members of Congress on the importance of the deal.

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic already represent the tenth largest market in the world for U.S. goods and services. Now that the deal is approved, more than 80 percent of the tariffs on those U.S. exports will be eliminated immediately. The remaining tariffs will be phased out gradually over the next decade.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses of every size, sector and region.

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