01/11/12 -The Hill

By Daniel Strauss

A congressional delegation lead by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) touring three countries in Latin America is meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday.

The delegation is visiting Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, where they planned to hold discussions on trade and economic issues. The goal of the trip is to strengthen ties between the United States and the Latin American countries.

In Colombia, the delegation plans to focus, in particular, on reviewing the instillation of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, along with discussing trade and economic topics.

"Implementation of the Colombia free trade agreement is critical to jobs and economic security in both the U.S. and Colombia," Boehner said in a statement to The Hill. "From both an economic perspective and a strategic perspective, the partnership between our two countries has never been more important. We look forward to talking with President Santos and other Colombian officials about the future of this vital relationship."

Boehner's office announced the trip on Monday. The delegation also plans on discussing energy related issues during the trip.

The delegation includes Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.), and Reps. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.).

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/203503-boehner-legislators-meeting-with-colombian-president-to-discuss-trade-agreeement