[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            BIPARTISAN TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JIM NUSSLE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 6, 2001

  Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year the President submitted to 
Congress his legislative agenda for international trade. I believe this 
agenda benefits America's consumers, farmers, and workers. Beyond that, 
I believe it will successfully advance a strategy for promoting 
freedom, economic development and increased living standards abroad. 
The keystone of the President's agenda is Trade Promotion Authority or 
``TPA''. TPA provides the President with a powerful tool to promote 
U.S. agriculture and manufactured goods abroad.
  As I travel through Iowa, farmers have expressed to me their support 
for opening world markets for U.S. farm goods. According to U.S. Trade 
Representative Robert Zoellick, the President's primary trade 
negotiator, agriculture will be a primary factor in future trade 
negotiations. Indeed, agriculture currently accounts for more than 30% 
of all U.S. exports. On a national level, agricultural exports create 
750,000 jobs, both on and off the farm.
  Expanded trade opportunities very clearly benefit Iowa farms and the 
commodities that are raised on them. In my home district, approximately 
35% of farm products are sold abroad. One in every five rows of corn 
are exported. This includes not just the unprocessed corn but value-
added goods that create jobs including: meat, dairy and poultry 
products, corn feed, biodegradable plastics, and corn syrup. Soybean 
producers benefit from free and open trade as well. In the year 2000, 
U.S. exports of soybeans, soybean meal, and soybean oil totaled more 
than $7 billion. Farmers want to earn a living from the land and with 
the free market without dependence on the government for financial 
assistance. TPA is essential to reach that goal. Congress is currently 
in the process of creating a new Farm Bill. However, any farm program 
devised would be fruitless without opening markets for farmers to sell 
their goods.
  Agriculture is not the only business in my district that would 
benefit from opening international markets. According to the U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 217 manufacturers in northeast Iowa export 
goods on a regular basis. The track record for business exports in 
Dubuque and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area since the North American Free 
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been impressive to say the least. Since 
1993, when NAFTA was signed into law, Dubuque has seen a 75% increase 
in export sales. Waterloo and Cedar Falls together have posted an 
impressive 95% increase in export sales during that time period!
  Deere & Company, a Quad Cities-based company, has several facilities 
throughout Iowa, including facilities in both Dubuque and Waterloo. 
This company's stake in opening foreign markets is very high. Deere 
exported $1.8 billion in U.S.-made products in 2000. This reflects 16% 
of its total sales and 35,000 jobs that are export dependent. Deere has 
a stated mission of increasing its sales overseas. This mission is of 
great benefit to Iowa's working families. Deere's Waterloo Works is the 
company's largest exporting plant. One in four of the green tractors 
produced in Waterloo is headed overseas. TPA is important to companies 
like Deere because it will help stabilize our domestic farm economy, 
and gives the President more latitude in negotiating tariffs with 
countries that are seeking to modernize their agricultural development.
  Waterloo Industries is much smaller than Deere, but also has a very 
large stake in the global marketplace. Approximately 10% of is products 
are sold abroad. Waterloo Industries produces high quality tool boxes 
and cabinets for both home and industrial use. On average, this company 
ships 3 semi-truckloads of these products abroad every day. This 
reflects $105,000 per day in sales and 1450 export dependent jobs, 10% 
of the company's workforce. Currently a third of Waterloo Industry's 
products to Canada. the remaining two-thirds are sold, among other 
places, in Europe, Australia, and Japan. It is my understanding that 
Waterloo Industries would like to expand its market in Asia and the 
Pacific. Tariffs for toolboxes in some Pacific rim countries are as 
high as 30%. I am hopeful that TPA can aid the President in negotiating 
a decrease of these high tariffs.
  For some 60 years, Presidents have used a TPA-like system to open 
markets abroad. Congress allowed trade negotiating authority for the 
President to lapse in 1995. While our economy has continued to grow and 
our exports have increased since that time, we can and should still do 
more. The European Union currently has 27 preferential agreements with 
other countries, Japan has 130, and the United States is a party to 
only three of them.
  This summer House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Thomas worked 
extensively with pro-trade Democrats to forge legislation to grant TPA 
while allowing Congress to retain its right to oversee the process. 
H.R. 3005 establishes a special trade oversight committee in Congress 
to consider environmental, labor, and human rights aspects of trade 
negotiations, and mandates the U.S. trade Representative to consult 
this committee on a regular basis. In addition, this legislation 
complies with rules established by the World Trade Organization and our 
other trading partners.
  Mr. Speaker, as we begin the 21st Century, it is becoming 
increasingly apparent that the world is becoming a smaller place. More 
efficient means of transportation and communication have connected 
countries and regions of the world in ways that were unimaginable just 
a decade ago. Given these unprecedented changes and the United States' 
role in the world economy, it is critical that the United States be 
able to negotiate fair trade agreements with overseas nations. TPA 
offers the tools we need to face the challenges of our changing world 
economy. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of the H.R. 3005.

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