[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10322-H10323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SHADY DEALS TO JAM FAST TRACK THROUGH CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Brown] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to 
address the House for a few minutes this evening.
  I read earlier today a story on the AP wire about some of the deals 
that have been made between the White House and Members of Congress on 
the fast track legislation which we were going to consider today, but 
has been pushed back until Sunday, frankly because Speaker Gingrich and 
the President do not have enough votes with the deals they are making 
to jam this bill through the Congress of the United States.
  What troubled me today, and I would like to share for a moment one of 
those deals that was mentioned in the AP wire story. I will quote:

       A Member of Congress announced his support for a fast track 
     trade bill Friday after the White House circulated a 7-point 
     memo promising continued support for the tobacco price 
     support program and immunity from health-related lawsuits for 
     tobacco farmers.

  The paper also promised reform of import duty rules that farmers say 
encourages imports of foreign tobacco. Lobbyists said the moves were 
aimed at garnering the Congressmen's support.
  This deal is troubling for a whole bunch of reasons, Mr. Speaker. As 
the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Health and Environment on 
the Committee on Commerce, the subcommittee that, under the leadership 
before of the gentleman from California [Mr. Waxman] and other Members 
of Congress brought forward many of the problems with tobacco, many of 
the issues with tobacco executives and some of the problems, 
particularly with teenaged smoking, and I am particularly concerned 
about this deal that the President has purportedly made, according to 
the AP wire story, with some Members of Congress in order to get their 
votes for the fast track legislation.
  Immediately, upon reading this story, I called the White House to ask 
for a copy of this 7-point memo that was about tobacco, about 
protecting tobacco, that would bring in the support from Members of 
Congress for the fast track bill.

                              {time}  1945

  The White House has still refused to send this memo. For whatever 
reason, they have not felt obligated to send this memo, even though 
next week this Subcommittee on Health and Environment and the full 
Committee on Commerce will be holding a hearing on tobacco.
  So what troubles me, and I think what troubles people across this 
country, is that on a trade issue, an issue that has nothing to do with 
tobacco,

[[Page H10323]]

we are seeing a deal cut by a President that has gone around the 
country and a Vice President that has gone around the country talking 
about the evils of teenaged smoking, something I agree with.
  On the one hand, the President and the Vice President have excoriated 
the tobacco companies, have talked about how the tobacco companies 
market to children, and on the other hand, on an unrelated trade deal, 
the administration seems to have cut a deal on tobacco in order to get 
the vote of one Member of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I called the White House and could not get a copy of 
this memo. So we placed calls to the American Cancer Society, the 
Coalition for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Heart Association, and several 
other public health groups to try to get a copy of this memo. Nobody 
has been able to, except supposedly this Congressman that has made this 
deal with the President.
  I think, Mr. Speaker, that when the American people find out about 
this, that on a trade deal, on an unrelated trade deal, the President 
of the United States and the Vice President of the United States, both 
people who have led the charge against teenage smoking, and I admire 
them for that, I respect them for that, I applaud them for that, they 
have turned around and cut a deal in order to get an unrelated fast 
track trade bill through the Congress, I think that the American people 
will be outraged when they hear this, when they hear that this kind of 
deal has been cut simply to get a vote on the floor of Congress on an 
unrelated trade bill.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, the President and the Vice President have led 
this country admirably, have moved forward in a very positive way in 
exposing the evils of teenage smoking. They have, through our 
subcommittee and through other committees in Congress, helped to lead 
the charge in eradicating smoking among teenagers, and have played a 
very positive role in helping people stop smoking in this country. Yet, 
they turn around and do this.
  I think, Mr. Speaker, that we will see a torrent of calls to the 
White House wanting to know more about this deal, wanting to know what 
exactly has happened. When does this kind of deal-making stop?

                          ____________________