[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   TAKING A LEADERSHIP ROLE ON TRADE

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1-minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, the very important question pending out 
there, following along the lines of the speeches of the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), is 
will the United States of America step up to the plate and play its 
very important global leadership role?
  I am convinced that, in a bipartisan way, this House will say yes. 
They will say yes, because we know that granting Trade Promotion 
Authority to the President so that he can pry open new markets around 
the world is not just about our important global leadership role, but 
it is also about creating jobs here in the United States.
  I have had a difficult time understanding how, over the years, people 
have argued that it is anti-union to be pro-free trade. The fact of the 
matter is, working men and women in this country will be the 
beneficiaries if we can break down those tariff barriers that exist in 
Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world.
  Mr. Speaker, it is very important for us to stand up, and when we do 
have this vote, we need to have Democrats and Republicans alike join 
with us saying that we are going to provide significant leadership 
globally, and we are going to create job opportunities for people right 
here in the United States of America.

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