[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21858]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 21858]]

                    CATERPILLAR'S BARRIERS TO TRADE

  (Mr. CRANE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, the necessity of passing H.R. 3005, a bill to 
renew trade promotion authority, is epitomized by the experience of 
Caterpillar, headquartered in my home State of Illinois. Caterpillar's 
motor graders made for export to Chile face nearly $15,000 in tariffs. 
Caterpillar motor graders manufactured in Brazil for export to Chile 
face a tariff of only $3,700. And when Caterpillar's competitors 
produced the same product in Canada, it can be exported to Chile free 
of tariffs because of the Canada-Chile free trade agreement. 
Caterpillar employees in Illinois are forced to watch as workers in 
other countries provide products to our neighbors.
  Mr. Speaker, while other countries are making preferential trade 
deals, we are sitting on the sidelines lacking the authority to 
negotiate. Make no mistake, our foreign competitors have this 
authority, and they use it to their advantage. Of the more than 130 
free trade agreements in force today, the U.S. is party to only three.
  Trade works for America. Let us pass H.R. 3005 and keep America's 
economy growing.

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