House narrowly approves CAFTA

In the early morning hours the House approved CAFTA (Central American Free
Trade Agreement 217-215. In the Minnesota delegation, first district republican congresssman Gil Gutknecht, was the only member to cross party lines and vote against it while his fellow republicans voted in favor and the Democrats voted against. He represents southern Minnesota, which has a a heavy farming industry. Gutknecht's chief concerns was that cheap sugar would flood the US market depressing the price for our sugar growers. Suger farmers are one of the few farmers not subsidized by the federal government.