Houston Democrats

The latest inside scoop from Washington is that everyone expects the vote on CAFTA to take place before the end of next week, perhaps as early as Wednesday. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is one of a dozen House Democrats the Bush administration is looking to to give them a win. (Read the excerpt from Inside U.S. Trade below.)

We can't let Congresswoman Jackson Lee give away our victory!

Join us Wednesday to urge Congresswoman Jackson Lee not to be one of a handful of Democrats to pass this agreement.

For more information, contact Lesley at Lesley@texasfairtrade.org or Debbie at debmocracy@yahoo.com

Logistics and parking for the protest:

Meet at the plaza of the Mickey Leland Federal Building which houses the offices of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, 1919 Smith Street - at Smith and St. Joseph's Parkway (1 block north of the I-45 Pierce elevated).

Parking is available in surrounding garages ($3/hour) on Jefferson and St. Joseph's Parkway, and in surface lots ($3.25-$5/day) 1-2 blocks east between Louisiana and Milam. The least expensive surface lot is the YMCA lot at Travis and Pease ($2/day), 5 blocks northeast...and as our action will be +/- hour at most; metered spaces are probably the best choice, so bring change!

Please come out and help persuade Sheila Jackson Lee to do the right thing!

From Inside U.S. Trade:

Business lobbyists this week counted between 25 to 28 Republicans opposing the DR-CAFTA despite intense leadership and administration pressure to vote yes, sources said. But there are indications that some of these members will agree to be absent for the vote, thereby reducing the number of yes votes needed for passage, lobbyists said. "Members are trying to help in whichever way they can," one business lobbyist said.

Lobbyists seeking passage of DR-CAFTA now have locked in seven Democrats in support and are hoping they can ultimately attract as many as 15 to 16, they said. Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) today said there is a block of undecided Democrats to whom the Administration is aggressively reaching out. A House aide said this block involves about 10 members who have come under intense pressure to vote for DR-CAFTA.

Hoyer said that he hopes as few as 10 Democrats would vote for the deal. Most people see the deal being delivered by a largely Republican vote.

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Houston Global Awareness Collective
hgac@riseup.net
www.houstonglobalawareness.org