[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19587-19588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               FREE TRADE

  Mr. CRAIG. Turning to the Senator from North Dakota, I thank him for 
the time he has allotted me. I think he is going to be talking about 
trade and possibly the Singapore and the Chilean free-trade agreements. 
The Senator and I worked cooperatively together on a lot of trade 
issues, and cochair a caucus on the Hill.
  The Senator who is in the chair at this moment is as frustrated as I 
am about these current free-trade agreements in front of us, because 
our trade ambassador has stepped into an arena that is frankly none of 
his business, if I can be so blunt, and that is immigration law. I 
think the Senator from North Dakota is as frustrated by that as I am. 
The Senator from Alabama, Mr. Sessions, has crafted a sense of the 
Senate I am looking at that will speak very boldly to the fact that if 
the trade ambassador wants to send up other free-trade agreements--
Senator Sessions and I serve on the Judiciary Committee, we will be 
blunt about it--we are not going to let them out.
  This ambassador is an appointed person, not an elected person. He 
does not have the right to go in and write immigration law. That is not 
his prerogative. If he has to discuss it, if he wants it to become a 
part of a trade agreement, then he must tell foreign countries he will 
offer legislation to Congress to review for the purposes of adjusting 
trade law, if necessary, where it fits and where a majority of the 
Congress can and will support it.
  The two trade agreements that are in front of us are very frustrating 
to this Senator because I think we have a trade ambassador who has 
overstepped his authority and I think it is time we tell him that in as 
clear language as we possibly can.

[[Page 19588]]

  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.

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