[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 29, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H6514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, ERODING THE CHOICES AND RIGHTS OF THE 
                            AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, for almost 4 years, the World Trade 
Organization has been eroding the choices and the rights of the 
American people.
  Like a leach feeding off its member countries, the WTO has been 
increasing its power at the expense of U.S. sovereignty.
  Self-determination is now subordinate to the decisions of trade 
bureaucrats meeting in secret at Geneva headquarters of the WTO, 
invalidating and mandating changes in existing laws passed by the U.S. 
Congress and signed by the U.S. President.
  Exactly how are the interests of the American people represented by 
unelected foreign nationals working in an ivory tower debating our 
commercial agreements?
  U.S. priorities should not be held hostage to the decisions of the 
WTO. I urge my colleagues to support the Kucinich, Sanders, Ros-
Lehtinen and Stearns amendment when the Commerce, Justice, State 
Appropriations bill comes to the floor, because the American people, 
through their elected representatives, can determine for themselves 
what our U.S. laws should be and not a foreign bureaucrat.

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