[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 23149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 23149]]

                TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY IS IMPERATIVE

  (Mr. LINDER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, free and fair trade is the foundation of our 
capitalist society. It creates jobs and improves wages. It contributes 
to economic growth and improves standards of living. It promotes 
freedom, opportunity and openness.
  One in ten Americans work in export-related jobs. Typically, those 
jobs pay 18 percent more than the national average. In addition to 
rising wages, trade has resulted in lower prices, resulting in a 
benefit of between $1,300 and $2,000 per year for the average family of 
four. Clearly, American workers benefit from expanded trade.
  The benefits of trade reaped by American workers and their families 
extend to the entire U.S. economy, as trade facilitates our global 
competitiveness. Exports have accounted for nearly one-quarter of U.S. 
economic growth during the past decade. In fact, NAFTA and the Uruguay 
Round combined have increased U.S. income by nearly $60 billion per 
year. Further, U.S. industrial production is 48 percent higher today 
than in 1990, prior to the enactment of NAFTA and the Uruguay Round.
  The passage of Trade Promotion Authority is imperative. Free trade 
will stimulate our economic recovery and preserve the very core of 
capitalism. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3005.

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