[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MARKET ACCESS PROGRAM ELIMINATION ACT

  (Mr. CHABOT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, a lot of the backroom deals in this town 
involve taking money away from middle-class people who work for it and 
then giving it to special interests who lobby for it.
  One of the most outrageous transfer programs around now is called the 
Market Access Program, or MAP. In this particular scheme the Government 
takes money away from taxpayers and gives it to corporate trade 
associations to advertise their products overseas. We are dipping into 
the pockets of average Americans in order to subsidize private, 
politically preferred business dealings. So when I say the program is 
outrageous, I mean just that. It should cause outrage. It is about as 
close to legalized theft as you can get.
  If businesses want to advertise overseas, great. They should do it, 
but with their own money. They should not beg Congress to squeeze the 
taxpayers even more than they are already squeezed with the high taxes 
we have in this country.
  That is why the gentleman from New York [Mr. Schumer] and I have 
introduced H.R. 972, the Market Access Program Elimination Act. If you 
want taxpayers to be able to keep more of their own money rather than 
having it go to groups like the Dry Pea and Lentil Council, please join 
us in this effort. Let us get rid of the Market Access Program.

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