[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 50 (Monday, May 2, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           EXECUTIVE SESSION
    THE NOMINATION OF WILLIAM ALAN REINSCH TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF 
                   COMMERCE FOR EXPORT ADMINISTRATION

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the hour 
of 3:30 p.m. having arrived and departed, the Senate will now go into 
executive session to consider the nomination of William Reinsch to be 
Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration.
  The clerk will report the nomination.
  The assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of William Alan 
Reinsch, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export 
Administration.
  The Senate proceeded to consider the nomination.
  Mr. RIEGLE. Madam President, I support the nomination of William 
Reinsch to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration. In 
that position he will have key responsibilities for administering the 
Export Administration Act [EAA], which permits exports to be controlled 
for the purposes of national security, foreign policy, and domestic 
short supply. The Banking Committee, in legislation it sponsored in 
1985, created the position of Under Secretary for Export Administration 
in order to separate the functions of export promotion and export 
controls in the Commerce Department. Mr. Reinsch worked on that 1985 
legislation and is extremely well qualified to perform his duties. His 
nomination was reported out of the Banking Committee on March 24, 1994 
on a bipartisan basis by a vote of 16-0.
  Mr. Reinsch has prepared himself well by both his education and prior 
professional career to take on his new duties as Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Export Administration. He received his BA from the Johns 
Hopkins University in 1968 and his MA from the John Hopkins School of 
Advanced International Studies in 1969. He has over 20 years of service 
on Capitol Hill, having worked in both the House and the Senate. During 
the years 1977-1991 he served on the staff of the late Senator John 
Heinz working on trade and international economic policy issues. During 
most of that period Senator Heinz was either chairman or ranking member 
of the Banking Committee's Subcommittee on International Finance and 
Monetary Policy whose jurisdiction includes the Export Administration 
Act. Mr. Reinsch handled Senator Heinz's work on export controls which 
included reauthorizations of the EAA in 1979, 1985, and 1988. He is 
intimately familiar with the statute and the administrative regulations 
governing export controls.
  After Senator Heinz' death, Senator Rockefeller hired Mr. Reinsch to 
do his trade work and, according to testimony Senator Rockefeller 
delivered at Mr. Reinsch's confirmation hearing, he did it extremely 
well. Mr. Reinsch has also written on a variety of trade topics and has 
taught graduate courses in trade policy at the University of Maryland 
University College Graduate School of Management and Technology.
  The Banking Committee is now in the process of rewriting the Export 
Administration Act, which expires on June 30 of this year. We are 
working with the administration to refocus our export control system 
from the former realities of the cold war to the new realities of 
preventing the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear 
weapons and the means to deliver them. We have held several hearings on 
the subject, and have heard from industry representatives, 
proliferation experts, and administration officials on how to bring our 
export control regime into line with post-cold war realities. As Under 
Secretary of Export Administration, Mr. Reinsch has both the 
substantive and legislative experience needed to help rewrite the 
Export Administration Act this year.
  Mr. Reinsch has shown his commitment to public service during his 20-
year career on Capitol Hill. His knowledge and experience clearly make 
him very well qualified to assume the position of Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Export Administration, and I urge his confirmation.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I rise in the strongest possible 
support for the nominee before us--William Alan Reinsch, who has been 
nominated by President Clinton for the position of Under Secretary of 
Commerce for Export Administration.
  Many Members of this body know Bill Reinsch and his outstanding 
qualifications. For 14 years, from 1977 to 1991, Bill served on the 
staff of the late Senator John Heinz. In those years, Bill developed a 
stellar reputation for his knowledge of trade and competitiveness 
policy issues; for his skill in problem-solving and consensus building; 
and for his immense personal integrity and dedication.
  During those years, Senator Heinz was chairman or ranking minority 
member of the Banking Committee's Subcommittee on International Finance 
and Monetary Policy. That subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Export 
Administration Act along with related issues. As a result, Bill Reinsch 
participated in at least five rewrites of this act, becoming one of the 
staff members in Congress with the most indepth knowledge and 
understanding of this complex law, related issues, the agencies 
involved in administering the law. Throughout these years, he worked 
closely with offices on both sides of the aisle, in both bodies of 
Congress, and with many varied private sector interests that have a 
high degree of interest in these issues.
  This experience is precisely what makes us so fortunate that 
President Clinton is seeking Bill Reinsch to serve as the 
administration's top official charged with export administration and 
controls. Here is a nominee who embodies the qualifications that I 
would hope we all look for in a position of this importance--from his 
tremendous experience with the issues, to his personal commitment to 
public service and sound policy.
  Although I knew Bill Reinsch before 1991, the tragic death of Senator 
Heinz led to the very special bond between Bill and myself. Three 
years, ago, Bill joined my staff as my advisor on trade, 
competitiveness, foreign relations, and defense issues. In this period, 
Bill continued to be a locus for congressional staff and private sector 
specialists concerned with these immensely important issues.
  Bill Reinsch deserves to take a great deal of pride in his 
distinguished tenure in the Senate. He has left his mark on all of the 
major trade bills that have made their way through the legislative 
process since the late 1970's, and has been one of the most creative 
thinkers and conceptualizers in shaping a wide range of proposals to 
deal with the competitiveness problem as it has emerged and then took a 
central place on the public agenda in the past 10 years.
  Throughout his dedicated service in the Senate, Bill Reinsch also 
kept his hand in academia. He served as an adjunct professor at the 
University of Maryland's Graduate School of Management and Technology. 
His course on international trade and trade policy has been highly 
popular, and I only wish I had the chance to enroll.
       Madam President, I am very disappointed that this 
     nomination has been stalled. It seems unfair to this 
     extremely dedicated and capable individual who has been asked 
     to perform an extremely difficult job. It most definitely 
     puts added stress on the administration's ability to 
     administer major responsibilities that have been handed them 
     by Congress through laws that we write and we passed. It is 
     appalling that the position of Under Secretary for Export 
     Administration has not had a confirmed official in place 
     since February 1991. After a great deal of effort, President 
     Clinton made the wise decision to try to fill it with this 
     superb human being and public servant, Bill Reinsch.
  This is an urgent matter. In the wake of the cold war, our country 
must take on the job of reconfiguring our export control system to deal 
with new realities. We have to refocus on nonproliferation goals and on 
the so-called pariah nations like Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea 
that pose very difficult challenges for us and the world community. The 
current Exportation Administration Act expires on June 30, less than 2 
months from now.
  Again, the President has proposed someone who is prepared to assume 
this immense responsibility. I can not imagine what rationale there is 
to hold this up for another minute. Congress expects near miracles from 
the executive branch in areas like export controls, and yet here we 
are, trying to get a decision made on an immensely qualified, 
dedicated, and proven public servant who has waited for months for the 
Senate to act on his nomination.
  I am privileged to be here to share what I know and feel about Bill 
Reinsch with my colleagues. Madam President, it is my hope that this 
nomination will be approved without any further delay.
 Mr. WOFFORD. Madam President, few who are called to serve the 
public have the combination of expertise, integrity and deep dedication 
to public service that Bill Reinsch possesses. Having relied upon his 
advise, I can attest to Bill's attributes personally. I also speak on 
behalf of the people of Pennsylvania, many of whom he helped directly 
and through his service to my predecessor, Senator Heinz.
  Bill is superbly qualified to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Export Administration. It is an extremely important position. 
Through his administration of the Export Administration Act, Bill will 
have to strike the proper balance of promoting exports with curbing the 
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. I believe he brings the 
knowledge and perspective to do just that. And with the Export 
Administration Act set to expire later this year, few are in as good a 
position as Bill to help tackle the reauthorization process.
  I know many of my colleagues share my view that the Senate is losing 
a great resource in Bill Reinsch. Even though he was most recently in 
the service of Senator Rockefeller, he was indeed a resource for all of 
us.
  Madam President, I urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of 
Bill Reinsch.
  Mr. DURENBERGER. Madam President, I rise in strong support for the 
nomination of William Reinsch, nominee for Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Export Administration. As a long time Senate employee, Bill is 
known and respected by many of us, and it is a great mystery to me why 
his confirmation has been held up for so long, seemingly to protest 
issues which are not related to Bill's soon-to-be-assumed duties to 
administer our export control laws.
  Those of us who serve on the Finance and/or Banking Committees are 
well aware of the excellent staff work provided by Bill Reinsch in the 
Senate for the late Senator Heinz and now for Senator Rockefeller. Bill 
has a broad and deep knowledge of all areas of international trade 
policy and is greatly respected by all of us.
  While there have been occasions that administration nominees have 
appeared to lack the appropriate background for the position in 
question, there is absolutely no doubt here about the qualifications of 
Bill Reinsch. There may well be no other Senate staffer, or any other 
individual, who has more knowledge or involvement in the complicated 
area of export control laws than Bill. The reauthorization of our 
export control laws is always controversial, and usually involves major 
reforms, as we have sought to update those laws to promote the right 
balance between national security and foreign policy concerns and the 
facilitation of exports to promote improvements in our economy and 
increased job opportunities. Bill has always been instrumental in 
crafting and pursuing the very difficult compromises needed to 
facilitate passage of this important legislation.
  I can think of no one more appropriate for this nomination than Bill 
Reinsch. We have delayed the nomination for no reason. There is no need 
to even debate his credentials for the position. Let us approve his 
nomination on a voice vote today.
  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, there is no more debate on this side of 
the aisle.
  Mr. BENNETT addressed the Chair.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Utah is 
recognized.
  Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, there is no more debate on this side 
either.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the 
nomination.
  The nomination was confirmed.
  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. BENNETT. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. BRYAN. Madam President, I ask that the President be immediately 
notified of the Senate's action and that the Senate then return to 
legislative session.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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