Washington, D.C. - Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and outspoken advocate for trade and economic growth issued the following statement today after President Bush signed legislation to implement free trade agreements (FTAs) with Chile and Singapore into law:

"Through this agreement, Chile's trade alone is responsible for almost 180,000 new jobs in Texas. That is enough new Texas workers to fill the Astrodome three times over. We have not even yet begun to scratch the surface of what new jobs we can create through free trade; and as the State which is the largest exporter, in other words, no one sells more, ships more overseas than our State, this is real jobs for our communities. These are real jobs for our families."

Brady attended the ceremonial signing this afternoon at the White House with Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas.

One of Brady’s priorities this Fall is to shore up Congressional support for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Because of Houston’s strong ties to the region they will host some of the final rounds of negotiations in October.

CAFTA would relieve tariffs between the United States and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The agreement will complement the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eliminated tariffs between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The CAFTA partner countries combined economies of $66 billion include approximately $20 billion in imports and exports to the United States.

"The Central American Free Trade Agreement represents an even greater gain for the U.S. and Houston region. With a combined population equal to Canada, Central America is already a proven trade partner, buying more U.S. goods right now than Russia, India and Indonesia combined. For every $1 in Central American products it sells to the United States, it buys back $1.36. Opening up Central America for U.S. goods will bring even more jobs and opportunities for local business," said Brady.