[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 152 (Tuesday, November 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NEBRASKA NEEDS FAST TRACK

  (Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, Nebraska needs more export 
opportunities abroad in order to attract and retain businesses and 
jobs. Nebraska needs fast track.
  From 1987 to 1996, Nebraska's exports increased almost 646 percent. 
Our top exports in 1996 were food products at $1.4 billion, followed by 
agriculture and livestock at $229 million, industrial machinery and 
computers, $193 million, electronic equipment at $131 million, and so 
on and so forth.
  Last year our top exporting partners were Japan, Canada, Korea, and 
Mexico. Without fast track, any of the export gains that we have made 
could be wiped away as our trade competitors negotiate anti-U.S. trade 
deals. It simply makes no sense to me why some want the United States 
to unilaterally disarm itself at the trade bargaining table.
  I encourage my colleagues to examine their own States' trade history 
to see how exports have helped create jobs at home. If your State's 
history is anything like mine, the answer will be pretty obvious. The 
United States needs fast track.

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