[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S10240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS CONFERENCE REPORT


                              section 8123

 Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I would like to enter into a 
colloquy with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens 
concerning section 8123 of the fiscal year 1998 Defense appropriations 
bill, H.R. 2266.
  Is it the chairman's expectation that the Secretary of Defense will 
not exercise the authority in section 8123 with regard to specialty 
steel and other steel products encompassed in the following Harmonized 
System of Tariffs (HTS) numbers: 7208 (carbon steel); 7218 through 7223 
(stainless steel); 7224 through 7229 (alloy steels, high speed tool 
steels and electrical steels); 7304 through 7306 (stainless steel pipe 
and tube); 7502 through 7508 (nickel-based alloys; 8105, 8108, 8109 
(cobalt/titanium/zirconium-based alloys); 8211, 8215 (stainless steel 
flatware) unless the failure of the Secretary of Defense to exercise 
such waiver authority pursuant to section 8123 will trigger unilateral 
retaliatory sanctions by a foreign country?
  Mr. STEVENS. The Senator is correct.
  Mr. D'AMATO. I would like to associate myself with the comments of 
the senior Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Specter, and underscore my 
similar expectation that the Secretary of Defense will not exercise the 
authority in section 8123 with regard to the products enumerated by 
Senator Specter.

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