Tell the Department of Transportation to keep the border closed!

This week, the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) proposal for a new cross-border trucking pilot program with Mexico was published in the Federal Register. This move forward by the DOT shows reckless disregard for American jobs and for public safety, as well as for the stewardship of U.S. tax dollars.

With the unemployment rate officially at 8.9 percent, now is the worst possible time to allow long-haul Mexican trucks to travel throughout the U.S. This cross-border program will potentially kill thousands of U.S. truck driving and warehouse jobs.

There are a number of safety and security issues that remain a problem as well. Mexico simply doesn't have the ability to guarantee its drivers meet all U.S. safety regulations, and the increasing drug violence in Mexico will really make this proposal a "one-way street" for Mexican carriers. Under the proposal, U.S. carriers will be allowed to operate in Mexico as well, but what U.S. carrier is going to risk the safety of its drivers or the value of its equipment or cargo to operate in a country where drug cartels are killing people daily?

And get this -- U.S. taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill. The DOT proposal would have the U.S. paying for Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs) and GPS devices for every Mexican truck to ensure compliance with hours-of-service regulations and to prevent violation of U.S. cabotage laws, which prevent foreign carriers from delivering cargo from pOint-to-point within the U.S. The U.S. taxpayer should not have to foot the bill for a program that will destroy U.S. jobs!

As of Wednesday, a thirty-day period for submitting comments on this proposed program has started. The deadline for submission is on or before May 13. We need your help in letting DOT know that moving forward with this program is unacceptable. By commenting on the plan to restart a pilot program, you can help in stopping our borders from being opened.

*Please note that all comments submitted will become part of the public record and posted on the Regulations.gov website.

To send a comment, please click here.

Tell Congress to say " No" to the South Korea trade agreement!

At a time of record unemployment and economic downturn, we do not need another trade agreement that is essentially a giveaway to the big multinational corporations. The South Korea trade agreement will soon be submitted to Congress. It is the largest agreement since NAFTA. The U.S. has lost 5 million jobs since NAFTA was enacted; why would we want this “Son of NAFTA"? According to the Economic Policy Institute, this proposed trade deal would cost 159,000 U.S. jobs over seven years. The U.S. International Trade Commission has also estimated that the South Korea trade agreement would increase our trade deficit and has identified nine economic sectors that would be affected, including some of the highest-paying industries in our country, such as motor vehicles and parts, electronics equipment, and metal products.

It would also give South Korean multinationals new rights to challenge U.S. laws, giving foreign companies and investors more power in this country than our own small businesses. The agreement poses some real security concerns by allowing South Korean cars sold in the United States to be made mostly in other countries because of the low rule-of-origin requirement. For example, a car could be made with parts mostly from other countries, including North Korea. The trade deal also contains language explicitly forbidding International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions.

Please e-mail your member(s) of Congress today to let them know that now is not a time for another job-killing trade agreement. Tell your Representative and Senators to say “NO” to the “Son of NAFTA”!

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