[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 124 (Monday, July 24, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4128-S4130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
North American Free Trade Agreement
Mr. FLAKE. Mr. President, it has been 2 months since Ambassador
Lighthizer notified Congress of the administration's intent to enter
into negotiations with Mexico and Canada on the North American Free
Trade Agreement. During that time, I launched something called NAFTA 4
AZ, which is an initiative to allow Arizonans to share their stories
about how NAFTA has changed their lives for the better.
I have heard from Arizonans across the State who work in a multitude
of industries--from dairy farmers to call center employees--and the
responses I have received are overwhelmingly positive. For example,
Matt Mandel, who serves as chief operating officer for SunFed, a
company based in Rio Rico, shared his personal story.
Matt wrote:
Fresh produce trade has kept my family working here in the
State of Arizona for three generations. Arizona imports over
17
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billion pounds of fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables--
bilateral trade between the United States and Mexico
representing over $40 billion. Let's modernize NAFTA.
Mignonne Hollis with the Arizona Regional Economic Development
Foundation tweeted:
NAFTA and our trade partners in Mexico have allowed us to
grow the aerospace industry in southern Arizona, which is key
to our economic development.
Dairy farmer Jim Boyle notes:
Most of our customers are local--right here in our State--
but our biggest customer outside of Arizona is Mexico. We
ship daily loads of cheese, powder, and tank loads of cream
all the way through Mexico. Please, let's keep NAFTA working
for the American farmer.
Other comments I have received through my website include statements
like ``I have enjoyed a constant supply of fresh fruits and vegetables
in these years of NAFTA. I have also noticed . . . how relatively
inexpensive many household items have been since'' and ``We supply
parts that cross the border multiple times before they reach final
assembly in the U.S. Free trade is vital to our success and the success
of our customers who not only get us where we need to go but protect
our shores and vital interests.''
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce noted in its comments on NAFTA:
Agreement is central to the State's economic prosperity.
The NAFTA agreement, that is.
Mexico is Arizona's leading trade partner. Canada is the
State's second leading trade partner.
In an interview focused on the NAFTA renegotiation process, the CEO
of Arizona's Hispanic chamber stated: ``We know that Mexican nationals
spend over a billion dollars a year in just Pima County.'' That is just
one county.
It is hardly surprising to hear such overwhelmingly positive support
for NAFTA, considering the benefits it has had on Arizona's economy.
NAFTA 4 AZ has helped to put on paper what Arizonans know all too
well: NAFTA plays a critical role in supporting jobs, opportunity, and
economic growth. It has been great to hear from people all over the
State talking about how NAFTA has helped them and asking the
administration to modernize NAFTA, not to end it.
NAFTA 4 AZ submissions, as well as comments submitted to the USTR
from Arizona stakeholders, share one common plea: Do not harm the
trilateral structure and the reciprocal market access of NAFTA.
Earlier this week the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative made
public its negotiating objectives for NAFTA. Based on what the USTR
released, it appears the administration has recognized the importance
of this central tenet of NAFTA. I am pleased that it appears that the
administration will seek to modernize NAFTA along the well-worn lines
of what was negotiated for the now defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agreement.
I think we can all agree that addressing the issues of digital trade
and intellectual property in the agreement, which is more than 20 years
old, is the key to NAFTA's continued success. Let's modernize it, not
end it.
However, these negotiating objectives mark the next step in a long
process that will have tremendous impact on Arizona's economy, for
better or for worse. Unfortunately, the path forward for NAFTA remains
uncertain and there is a long road to travel before we get to a place
where the United States, Mexico, and Canada can all agree to an updated
NAFTA.
From the vegetable fields of Yuma to the warehouses in Nogales, to
the small retailers along the southern border, to the hotels throughout
the valley, to the ranches up north where I grew up in Snowflake, NAFTA
is important to all Arizonans.
I will review the administration's objectives closely as I continue
to talk to Arizonans about what they need to ensure vibrant cross-
border trading.
I look forward to continued consultation between Congress and the
administration as this process to modernize NAFTA moves forward.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I have come to the floor to speak this
evening in support of the confirmation of David Bernhardt to be Deputy
Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
The Deputy Secretary is the department's COO, or chief operating
officer. This is the individual who holds the position to really
execute the strategy and oversee the initiatives that are undertaken by
thousands of employees as they carry out their statutory duties and the
administration's agenda. It is a very key position.
I believe very strongly that Secretary Zinke has chosen a strong
individual for this position of Deputy Secretary. Mr. Bernhardt is a
fellow westerner. He comes from the small town of Rifle, CO. He
understands the management of Federal lands and how it affects those
who live near them, the implications of Federal policies, and the need
for balance between conservation and development.
David is an avid sportsman. He likes to hunt. He likes to fish. He
likes to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.
Mr. Bernhardt also has extensive experience at the Department of the
Interior. He previously spent several years as its solicitor, and this
is a position for which he was confirmed by this Senate Chamber by
voice vote. So he has gone through this process before and was endorsed
strongly at the time.
Throughout his time at the Department of the Interior, Mr. Bernhardt
gained expertise about a range of Alaska and western issues. He also
has a strong reputation as a manager which, of course, is critical for
a Deputy Secretary.
Mr. Bernhardt's nomination is supported by dozens of Members of this
Chamber and by dozens of stakeholder groups. He has been endorsed by a
broad coalition of sportsmen's groups as well, including Ducks
Unlimited, the Safari Club, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation
Partnership. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the
National Water Resources Association, the Family Farm Alliance, NCAI,
or the National Conference of American Indians, and the Southern Ute
Indian Tribe are just a few more that have weighed in favorably on his
behalf.
Mr. Bernhardt also fared well throughout the confirmation process,
proving again that he is a good choice for this role. We held a hearing
on his nomination on May 18. We reported him favorably from the Energy
and Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support. We moved that
out on June 4. So we have had about 6 weeks now where others have had
an opportunity to review him and review his credentials. It is
unfortunate that he has had to wait 6 weeks. I know that Secretary
Zinke is anxious to put him to work. He is now ready this evening to be
confirmed by the full Senate.
I would like to thank David Bernhardt for his willingness to return
to Federal service. I think he will be a very capable second-in-command
for Secretary Zinke, helping to steer the Department in a positive
direction. Alaskans, especially this one, are looking forward to
working with him.
I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Bernhardt's confirmation.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DAINES. 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. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed
to complete my remarks.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, David Bernhardt is a well-qualified
nominee to serve as our next Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
The Department of the Interior is charged with managing our wildlife,
our public lands, including our national parks and refuges, and our
Nation's rich natural resources, which are key to American energy
independence. They are charged with the sacred responsibility of
protecting the Federal Government's trust responsibility to Indian
Tribes.
Managing the Department of the Interior is a complex balancing act.
We need someone who is able to balance these competing interests, and
we need someone who understands the importance of our public lands.
[[Page S4130]]
David Bernhardt has spent his life balancing competing interests,
weighing the stewardship of our natural resources and wildlife with the
letter of the law. His relationship to our lands and the western way of
life is not second nature; it is first.
Mr. Bernhardt was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 2006 as the
Solicitor of the Department. As Solicitor he proved he was capable of
upholding the law, even under difficult situations. My colleagues may
remember that he wrote the opinion that decided to list the polar bear
and drafted a workable rule. As we know, Secretary Salazar then upheld
this rule.
As Solicitor, he prioritized establishing a robust ethics team at the
Department. That ethics team still exists today.
Mr. Bernhardt has proven to have the highest level of integrity and
work ethic. For heaven's sake, he is a westerner. He is from Rifle, CO,
and the importance of our public lands and wildlife flows through his
veins like a lot of us who live out West. I have confidence that he
will be a dedicated servant to our western way of life, where we love
to hunt, to fish, to hike on our public lands. I have confidence in
this because I know he loves this way of life as well.
I am not the only one who has this confidence. Listen to this list of
support from groups across our country that support his appointment:
the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Ducks Unlimited; the
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Boone and Crockett Club, and others
that many Montanans are members of, including the Mule Deer Foundation,
the NRA, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
While the U.S. Senate confirmed Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the
Interior, he became the first Montanan, my friend Ryan Zinke, to serve
on the President's Cabinet since our statehood in 1889. It sent a
message that the Department of the Interior would have our Montana
values and our western values, and the confirmation of David Bernhardt
as Deputy Secretary would make good on that promise.
While Montanans and westerners highly value access to our public
lands and wildlife, Montanans are also pleading--pleading--for our land
management agencies to be better partners, to work alongside our
States, and to work alongside our landowners.
Secretary Zinke needs a right-hand man to make sure we uphold our
commitment to Indian Nations. Secretary Zinke promised to rebuild trust
in our Federal land and wildlife management agencies and strengthen the
government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes. He needs a
deputy in place who can help implement this vision to restore trust and
balance to the Department of the Interior for Montanans.
My colleagues, it is time Secretary Zinke has a Deputy we can all
count on, and I look forward to casting my vote for David Bernhardt.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, all postcloture time
is expired. The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the
Bernhardt nomination?
Mr. SASSE. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander), the Senator from West Virginia
(Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. McCain), and the Senator
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 53, nays 43, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 166 Ex.]
YEAS--53
Barrasso
Bennet
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Cassidy
Cochran
Collins
Corker
Cornyn
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Enzi
Ernst
Fischer
Flake
Gardner
Graham
Grassley
Hatch
Heitkamp
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johnson
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Lee
Manchin
McConnell
Moran
Murkowski
Paul
Perdue
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sasse
Scott
Shelby
Strange
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Wicker
Young
NAYS--43
Baldwin
Blumenthal
Booker
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Coons
Cortez Masto
Duckworth
Durbin
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Harris
Hassan
Heinrich
Hirono
Kaine
Klobuchar
Leahy
Markey
McCaskill
Menendez
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Peters
Reed
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Tester
Udall
Van Hollen
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NOT VOTING--4
Alexander
Capito
McCain
Toomey
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with
respect to the Bernhardt nomination the motion to reconsider be
considered made and laid upon the table and the President be
immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________