[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 58 (Thursday, May 9, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4122-S4123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 3529 and S. 2485

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I intend to propose a unanimous consent 
request that we take up the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication 
Act.
  It is vital that we address this issue. ATPA expired on December 4 
because Congress had not taken action on the legislation. The House of 
Representatives passed an extension on November 16, and the Senate has 
failed to do its work on this issue.
  These countries need our help. It is in the United States' national 
interest not to see these countries degenerate into economic, political 
and, in the case of Colombia, armed chaos. We need to act on this 
issue. Why it has been tied to TPA and TAA is something I do not 
understand.
  Perhaps the Trade Promotion Act and the Trade Adjustment Assistant 
Act are important. I think they are of the highest priority, but the 
Andean Trade Preferences Act--referred to as ATPA--is of time 
criticality. It expired. There are tariffs that these countries will 
have to pay.
  These are poor countries. They have unemployment rates of 30, 40, 50 
percent. Colombia is degenerating into

[[Page S4123]]

chaos. Peru is in a situation--if I might quote from the Christian 
Science Monitor:

       Rebel groups' presence growing near Peru's capital. The 
     Shining Path wants to show that democracy is weak, it can't 
     handle problems with crime and corruption, and the 
     government's inability to improve the country's economy.

  Andres Pastrana wrote in the Washington Post on April 15:

       Finally, continued U.S. support for planned Colombia and 
     final Congressional passage of the Andean Trade 
     Preferences Act will strengthen Colombia's economic 
     security. The trade act will have a minuscule impact in 
     the United States but will create tens of thousands of 
     jobs in Colombia and across the Andean region. Enhanced 
     ATPA now being considered in Congress will foster new 
     business investment in Colombia.

  These countries are in trouble. If these countries are not allowed to 
engage in economic development, are not given our assistance, with 
which we have provided them since 1991--this Trade Preference Act--then 
we are going to pay a very heavy penalty. We have already had to 
allocate a billion dollars to Colombia to help them militarily. 
Situations now are arguably worse than 2 years ago when we first began 
this matter. Every objective observer will tell you Colombia is in 
terrible shape. In Peru, people are losing confidence in democracy. In 
Ecuador--I have read stories about Hezbollah and other terrorist 
entities locating in these countries.
  We don't have the time to waste fooling around with aid to 
steelworkers, or adjustments to health care, which are directly related 
to the Trade Promotion Act, not to the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug 
Eradication Act. I hope we can have some debate and discussion about 
that.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Finance Committee be discharged from 
further consideration of H.R. 3529; further, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Senate immediately proceed to its consideration, all after the 
enacting clause be stricken, and the text of S. 2485, the Andean Trade 
Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, be inserted in lieu thereof. I 
further ask consent that the bill be read the third time and the Senate 
proceed to a vote on passage of the bill, with no other intervening 
action or debate.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I want to 
clarify the request that my colleague from Arizona made.
  The request is we would move immediately to the Andean Trade 
Preference Act, which is a continuation of the current law going back 
to 1991 which would assist four countries--the Senator mentioned the 
four countries: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, all of which 
desperately need our help.
  The Senator's intention is to continue to assist those countries so 
we do not have punitive tariffs hit, I believe, by the 15th of this 
month, next week; is that correct?
  Mr. McCAIN. That is correct.
  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I compliment my colleague from Arizona. I 
hope we can do this and pass an Andean trade bill. I believe the vote 
on it will be 90-plus votes in favor of it. If we are successful in 
passing this, then we can continue to wrestle with and hopefully pass 
trade promotion authority and trade adjustment assistance. Correct me 
if I am wrong, this in no way would keep us from passing trade 
promotion and trade adjustment assistance in the future.
  Mr. McCAIN. It would have no impact.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. Reserving the right to object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I understand the frustration of the Senator 
from Arizona. Magnify that 1,000 percent for the majority leader. We 
have a bill on the floor----
  Mr. LOTT. Regular order, Mr. President.
  Mr. REID. The underlying vehicle is the Andean trade bill. I think we 
should move on to the trade bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

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