[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 12 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S489-S490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I would like to speak for a few minutes 
about our Nation's economic relationship with Africa and one area of 
concern I have as we work toward further strengthening our ties.
  Since its passage under President Clinton, the African Growth and 
Opportunity Act, known as AGOA, has been a powerful tool for increasing 
trade and boosting economies across the African Continent, and no 
country has taken greater advantage of the opportunities provided 
through AGOA than South Africa.
  Over the past 4 years, as the chairman of the African Affairs 
Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Relations, I have worked 
closely with African leaders and know the importance of AGOA to their 
economies and to their growing middle classes. Just last week I met 
with a group of African trade ministers who emphasized to me how 
important prompt reauthorization of AGOA is to them, to their nations, 
and to tens of thousands of men and women who work in reliance upon 
AGOA.
  AGOA is not a partisan issue. I have worked closely with my 
Republican colleague and friend from Georgia Senator Isakson on its 
reauthorization. But, as I have also long believed, trade must be fair, 
and with increased trade comes a responsibility by both parties to play 
by the same set of rules.
  I am concerned because I fear that South Africa's refusal to drop its 
antidumping duties that prevent American poultry from having free and 
fair access to the South African market will have negative 
repercussions for our relationship and South Africa's economy.
  Much of the time, nations will use antidumping duties to prevent 
other countries from exporting artificially cheap goods into their 
economies, putting their own businesses at an unfair disadvantage. But 
what South Africa has done for years in this area lacks any merit. They 
are using the same justification that China has used to ban American 
poultry imports. They claim our poultry is being sold below market 
value. Not only is this claim false, the World Trade Organization 
recently deemed China's nearly identical ban to be illegal.
  American companies want the chance to sell healthy, affordable, and 
safe poultry to South Africa and at a fair market value. So during the 
Africa leaders summit last August, which brought the heads of state of 
more than 50 African nations here to Washington and to our Capitol, I 
had the opportunity to meet with President Zuma of South Africa as well 
as other South African senior officials. During our meeting we 
discussed their country's policies toward our country, the importance 
of renewing AGOA, and also my concerns about their unfair practices 
with regard to our poultry industry. I was optimistic that following 
our constructive conversations, we could work together with them and 
with South Africa's poultry industry to get rid of this inappropriate 
trade barrier. In September we also had constructive meetings where our 
Ambassador and their Ambassador were present, and leaders of both 
poultry sectors began constructive conversation. But soon thereafter 
their willingness to engage abruptly stopped. They apparently think 
they can continue to benefit from AGOA and shirk their most basic trade 
responsibilities.
  In my home State of Delaware the poultry industry supports more than 
13,000 jobs and has long been the backbone of our agriculture sector. I 
have made clear to our friends and partners in South Africa that 
although I deeply believe in their nation's promise and future, my 
first responsibility is and always will be to my home State and my 
constituents. Across the country--and Senator Isakson's State of 
Georgia is the single biggest poultry-growing State in the country--the 
United States supports 1.8 million American jobs, contributing more 
than $470 billion to our Nation's economy.
  So I want to be clear about this tonight, as I have been before. I 
support AGOA's reauthorization, and I hope we can negotiate a fair path 
forward. But South Africa cannot expect to continue to reap the 
benefits of increased trade without following fair trade rules. They 
can't expect us to open up our markets wide to duty-free and quota-free 
access for South African goods if they will not fairly open theirs. If 
they insist on maintaining their longstanding and illegal antidumping 
duties on American poultry, I will do everything in my power to ensure 
they do not continue to benefit from AGOA. The choice is theirs.
  Senator Isakson of Georgia and I communicated this concern to 
President Zuma back in December in writing, and this week we will write 
to the Senate Finance Committee with the same message. We only have a 
short period of time where we can get a long-term extension of AGOA 
done, and I will work hard to reauthorize and improve AGOA so its 
benefits are even more widely felt on the continent of Africa, but I 
won't allow it to include countries that violate fair trade rules, 
which means an important ally and partner of the United States--South 
Africa--won't be included if they are not willing to play by the rules. 
There

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are too many jobs at stake, too much work to do to allow a critical 
trading partner such as South Africa to continue its unfair treatment 
of American industry.
  I hope and pray we can still resolve this needless impasse, but if we 
don't, my commitment and my path forward is clear.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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