[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 34 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2222-S2223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as I understand it, we are working on an 
arrangement that will accommodate further progress on this part of the 
energy bill. I appreciate the cooperation of all those involved.
  I want to take a moment to talk about a strong interest I have--and I 
know it is shared by the Presiding Officer and many other of our 
colleagues--in trade promotion authority, trade adjustment assistance, 
and the Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act. We will be dealing with 
all three of those issues in the next work period. I reemphasize the 
importance that I, as one Senator, put on getting that package passed 
during that time.
  I think we all saw yesterday that the January trade deficit swelled 
to $28.5 billion. That is a 15 percent increase over December and 
sharply higher than the consensus forecast. That alone caused some 
analysts to lower their projections for first quarter growth by a full 
percentage point.
  That set of numbers indicates pretty clearly how important trade is 
to the American economy, and it graphically demonstrates why we need to 
provide trade promotion authority.
  Today, nearly one in every 10 U.S. jobs--an estimated 12 million 
jobs--is directly linked to the export of U.S. goods and services. 
These are good jobs that pay 13-18 percent more than the national 
average.
  The benefits are even more pronounced in agriculture. Since passage 
of NAFTA in 1993, U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico have doubled.
  Agricultural exports today account for one in every three U.S. acres 
planted; nearly 25 percent of gross cash sales in agriculture; and more 
than three-quarters of a million U.S. jobs.
  The U.S. Trade Representative's office estimates that the average 
American family of four saves between $1,260 and $2,040 a year as a 
result of the two major trade agreements we entered into in the 1990s--
NAFTA and the Uruguay Round.
  And in my view, the benefits of trade today are even greater for the 
United States because no Nation in the world is better positioned to 
thrive in a global, information-based economy.
  Expanding trade also offers national security and foreign policy 
benefits because trade opens more than new markets. When it is done 
correctly, it opens the way for democratic reforms. It also increases 
understanding and interdependence among nations, and raises the cost of 
conflict.
  Senators Baucus and Grassley deserve great credit for getting a 
bipartisan TPA proposal out of the Finance Committee with an 
overwhelming vote of support--18 to 3.
  Their proposal not only gives the President that authority he needs 
to negotiate good trade agreements for the United States. It also 
addresses critical labor and environmental concerns. Under their 
proposal, labor and environmental concerns are central issues, not side 
issues.
  The fundamental reality is that expanded trade raises living 
standards generally, but some people lose. That is inevitable.
  Last year, we passed an important education reform bill. We agreed 
then that we would ``leave no child behind.'' Now we need to make sure 
we leave no worker behind. And that's why the package will include 
expanded trade adjustment assistance
  This is not a partisan idea. It's an American idea.
  It was also the one clear area of agreement among the recommendations 
of the bipartisan U.S. Trade Deficit Review Commission, which was 
established by Congress in 1998.
  Among the key members of the commission were President Bush's trade 
representative, Robert Zoellick; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; and 
George Becker, the former president of the United Steelworkers.
  Nor is trade adjustment assistance a new idea. It has been part of 
American trade policy for 40 years.
  The current program, however, covers too few people. And it does not 
address some of the most serious problems displaced workers have in 
finding productive new employment.
  I commend Senators Baucus and Bingaman for their leadership in 
putting together a proposal that corrects both of those shortcomings.
  I also thank Senator Snowe, who has been working closely with us on 
this effort.
  We already have 47 cosponsors.
  There are some reasons why we need a new, expanded program of trade 
adjustment assistance. I want to cite a few.
  Today, if your employer's plant moves to Mexico, you are eligible for 
a year of additional unemployment benefits, plus education and 
training. But if your plant moves to Brazil--or any other nation 
besides Mexico--you get none of these benefits.
  The new proposal says that no matter where your company moves, you 
get help.
  Today, workers whose company moves to another country are eligible 
for trade adjustment assistance. But let's say your employer provides 
parts to another company, and that company moves to another country. If 
you lose your job in that case, you are not eligible for assistance.

[[Page S2223]]

  The new proposal makes sure these ``secondary workers'' get help, 
too.
  For the first time, the new proposal also includes farmers.
  As a general matter, expanded trade will provide billions and 
billions of dollars in economic growth for the United States.
  Certainly, we can dedicate a small fraction of this gain to those 
Americans who are harmed. It is the right thing to do. Frankly, it will 
be impossible to build a broad consensus for expanded trade unless we 
do it right.
  We should help American workers learn the new skills they need to 
earn a living. We should help them maintain health insurance while 
they're unemployed--and help protect against wage loss when they become 
re-employed.
  I also want to reaffirm my strong support for the Andean Trade 
Preference Expansion Act.
  Again, I wish we could have passed it quickly, this week, as I had 
originally hoped. But I am confident we can pass it in a relatively 
short period of time after we return.
  Congress first passed the Andean Trade Preferences Act 10 years ago 
as a comprehensive effort to defeat narco-trafficking and reduce the 
flow of cocaine into the United States.
  The program allows the President to provide reduced-duty or duty-free 
treatment for most imports from Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.
  The goal is simple: to provide farmers in a region that produces 100 
percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States with viable 
economic alternatives to the production of coca.
  The program works.
  In the last decade, our Andean neighbors have made significant 
economic gains, and trade between the United States and the region has 
increased dramatically.
  According to the International Trade Commission, between 1991 and 
1999, two-way trade between the United States and Andean nations nearly 
doubled, and U.S. exports to the region grew by 65 percent.
  The ITC also reports that ATPA has contributed significantly to the 
diversification of the region's exports.
  In addition, the program has served as a catalyst for resolving 
regional conflicts, pushing the members of the Andean community--
particularly Peru and Ecuador--to work toward resolution of long-
standing disagreements that have undercut efforts at regional 
development.
  ATPA is doing, in other words, precisely what it was intended to do. 
So there is every reason to extend it on its own merits.
  But in addition, the bill we passed last year to expand U.S. trade 
with Caribbean countries has had the unintended effect of putting the 
Andean nations at a competitive disadvantage with other nations in the 
region.
  The development and stability of the Andean region is as much in our 
interest as it is in theirs.
  The package we will consider when we return will renew ATPA and, at 
the same time, level the playing field between Andean nations and their 
Caribbean neighbors.
  I thank Senator Graham of Florida for his leadership in putting 
together the proposal and again Chairman Baucus for putting the entire 
trade package together.
  The word ``trade'' has its roots in an old Middle English word 
meaning ``path,'' which is connected to the word ``tread'' to move 
forward.
  The trade package we will consider when we return will enable us to 
move forward in this new global economy in a way that strengthens our 
national security and the economic security of American businesses and 
families. We look forward to a good and vigorous debate when we return.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I wanted to speak very briefly in 
agreement with the majority leader about his comments on both trade 
promotion authority and trade adjustment assistance. I think the two 
clearly have to go together and quickly. There are a great many workers 
in this country who are getting inadequate benefits. Many are getting 
no benefits because we have not modernized our Trade Adjustment 
Assistance Program.
  We have a good proposal to modernize that program which we passed out 
of the Finance Committee, and I think it is very important that we 
bring that up on the Senate floor after we return and pass that as 
quickly as possible. I know that is intended to pass in tandem with the 
trade promotion authority.
  The administration is anxious to see that pass. I think if there are 
disagreements about the trade adjustment assistance proposals that we 
have reported out of the Finance Committee, we need to have early 
negotiations to resolve this.
  I know the administration has expressed concerns. To my knowledge, we 
have not had any real counterproposals that could be seriously 
considered. So I hope that will get done in the next couple of weeks 
before we return, and I hope we will be in a position to pass a new, 
improved set of provisions regarding trade adjustment assistance. I 
think that is a real priority. I was pleased we were able to move ahead 
in the Finance Committee. I think it is very important to move ahead on 
the floor as well.
  Mr. President, I thank the distinguished majority leader for his 
comments on the trade legislation package that we will be considering 
soon. Clearly, this legislation is extremely important to the economic 
welfare of the country and I look forward to helping him get it passed. 
In particular, I want to get trade adjustment assistance legislation to 
the floor so we can begin to help American workers and communities in a 
more effective way.
  I have heard a lot of criticism lately about the trade adjustment 
assistance bill especially concerning its linkage to fast-track 
legislation but I have to agree with the majority leader that I see 
fast-track and trade adjustment assistance to be complementary. Fast-
track will allow the creation of free-trade agreements that will 
provide broad collective benefits to Americans, but it will also result 
in negative impacts on American workers and communities.
  From where I sit, we should not pass legislation that will negatively 
impact American workers without expanding and enhancing the Trade 
Adjustment Assistance Program. We need strong protections in place for 
American workers and their communities. We need a safety net that keeps 
these workers competitive and their communities strong. The Bush 
administration has stated as much many times, most recently in their 
trade policy agenda that came out this week.
  My colleagues know that trade adjustment assistance has never been 
about ideologies or political parties. It has always had bi-partisan 
support. If my colleagues look at the number of people in their state 
that have used trade adjustment assistance over the years, or are using 
it now, they will admit the program is about helping people and 
communities get back on their feet. I am prepared to negotiate on the 
outstanding issues, and I am convinced that common ground can be found 
rather easily on the core components of the bill.
  I thank the distinguished majority leader for his continued efforts 
to bring this legislation to the floor in a timely fashion, I want to 
thank Senator Baucus for his continued efforts to emphasize the 
importance of trade adjustment assistance, and I look forward to 
working with both of my colleagues in the future to ensure we pass this 
important legislation.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

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