Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary Of State Nominee

In March 2000, Clinton said NAFTA "was flawed," and that the United States "didn't get everything we should have got out of it." Four years earlier, the AP says Clinton described NAFTA as beneficial to workers.

In her 2003 memoir, Living History, Clinton wrote, "Creating a free trade zone in North America--the largest free trade zone in the world--would expand U.S. exports, create jobs and ensure that our economy was reaping the benefits, not the burdens, of globalization. Although unpopular with labor unions, expanding trade opportunities was an important administration goal."

Clinton voted in support of the creation of free trade agreements (FTAs) with Chile, Singapore, and Oman. But she criticized the FTAs with Chile and Singapore for what she said was their weak enforcement of International Labor Organization (ILO) standards. She said "the labor provisions in the Chile and Singapore agreements should not be used as a model for future trade agreements." Clinton voted against Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the Trade Act of 2002. In 2004, Clinton voted for the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, which she said "offers greater access to Australian markets for U.S. manufacturers." Clinton spoke out against the pending FTA with South Korea (Reuters), which she called "inherently unfair," particularly for the U.S. auto industry. She has also criticized FTAs with Colombia and Panama. Clinton expressed support, on the other hand, for the FTA with Peru, which passed in the Senate in December 2007.

In April 2008, Clinton said she disapproved of the pending U.S.-Colombia trade deal. "I oppose signing any trade deal with Colombia while violence against trade unionists continues and the perpetrators are not brought to justice," Clinton said. She pledged to vote against the FTA in Senate.

Clinton said she would have implemented a "time-out" on trade for the first several months of her presidency to "provide an opportunity to systematically review every trade agreement to ensure that it is delivering benefits to American workers," she said in November 2007.

Clinton also expressed concerns over U.S. trade practices with China. "We just can't keep doing what we did in the 20th century," she said in a March 2007 interview (Bloomberg). In a February 2008 speech, Clinton said China has the upper hand in trade with the United States. "China's steel comes here and our jobs go there. We play by the rules and they manipulate their currency. We get tainted fish and lead-laced toys and poisoned pet food in return," she said, promising to take a "consistent approach" toward China trade if she is elected.

Homeland Security
Since the 9/11 attacks, Clinton has repeatedly pressed for higher homeland security funding for anti-terror assistance for her state of New York and other "areas at greatest risk of attack." In February 2008, Clinton praised the Department of Homeland Security's allocation of $151.2 million for the Transit Security Program for New York. She said she hoped the increase in that funding by 50 percent was a sign that DHS and the Bush administration recognize "the threat that the New York City region continues to face and the incredible strain they impose on our law enforcement agencies and first responders who must maintain constant vigilance."