[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    IN FAVOR OF GATT, IF NOT PERFECT

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I approach the vote on GATT 
Agreement with mixed emotions. I think this country really needs to 
learn how to do a better job of negotiating. It has made the vote 
difficult, both in the NAFTA Agreement and in this current round of 
GATT. In our desperation to have more free trade, we have ended up with 
many provisions that place many sectors of this country at a 
disadvantage.
  Additionally, I am concerned with the implementing language. The 
defects in that language further weaken the benefits of the agreement. 
We need to make the implementing language fair for such industries as 
textiles and agriculture, to protect our inventors, to assure our 
sovereignty from the WTO and to allow Congress absolutely to initiate 
U.S. withdrawal from GATT if it does not work. We need to take out the 
pork-barrel spending and the favors for special interests in that 
implementing language. I hope we can deal with that next year as 20 
percent of this Congress are coming in newly elected and will have the 
opportunity to revise and amend the implementing language as we 
approach it next year.
  Mr. Speaker, I am voting for this agreement because it is better than 
the alternative of continuing under the existing GATT Agreement. I 
hope, in conclusion, that we become more determined in future years as 
competition becomes more challenging to do a better job in negotiating 
these agreements.

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