President Bush Calls On Congress To Open Markets For American
Workers And Entrepreneurs By Approving Free Trade Agreements, Starting
With Colombia: “Today, President Bush met with former Cabinet Secretaries and senior government officials and discussed the need for pro-growth economic policies, including opening new markets for U.S. exports through free trade agreements. Open markets contribute to America’s prosperity. With exports now accounting for a larger percentage of our GDP than at any other time in our history, trade is playing an important role in supporting economic growth. Exports have reached a historic high as a share of the United States’ national income, and jobs supported by goods exports pay wages 13 to 18 percent higher than the national average.”