[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 31, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H4871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S LEADERSHIP ON TRADE

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, in just a few minutes, the gentleman from 
California (Chairman Thomas) will begin the debate on the very 
important U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, but I want to take a moment 
to talk about a very important issue which we are going to be phasing 
in in the not-too-distant future, and that is the issue of Trade 
Promotion Authority.
  Since that authority expired in 1994, our trading partners have been 
very busy negotiating a web of trade agreements that excludes the 
United States. Today we sit here wasting valuable time that the 
President and his trade negotiators could be using to improve the lives 
of families here in the United States and around the world.
  Free trade has been a boom for the American family, from higher 
paying jobs to lower prices. The North American Free Trade Agreement 
and the World Trade Organization have increased the overall national 
income by $40 billion to $60 billion. Continued efforts to open new 
markets help working families that bear the brunt of hidden imported 
taxes on everyday items like clothes, food, and electronics. And, with 
97 percent of exporters coming from small or medium-sized companies, 
increased exports mean better, higher paying export jobs for workers 
that make up the heart and soul of this country.
  Along with American workers, open trade has helped to raise more than 
100 million people out of poverty in the last decade. A recent World 
Bank study showed that developing countries that participate actively 
in trade grow faster and reduce poverty faster than countries that 
isolate themselves.
  We should grant the President Trade Promotion Authority as soon as 
possible to ensure that the United States continues to lead in the 
global economy and the fight to spread democracy and freedom throughout 
the world.

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