[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7789]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MAY IS WORLD TRADE MONTH

  (Mr. SMITH of Nebraska asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, this month we are celebrating 
World Trade Month to honor the nearly 300,000 American businesses which 
support millions of American jobs. International markets represent 73 
percent of the world's purchasing power, 87 percent of its economic 
growth, and 95 percent of the world's consumers. More than 50 million 
Americans work for companies which engage in international trade and 1 
in 3 acres of American farmland grows food for consumers overseas.
  Unfortunately, approval of pending trade agreements with countries 
such as Colombia, South Korea and Panama have languished, awaiting 
approval by Congress. Every day we delay, the more ground our Nation 
and our economy lose to our international competitors. Trade is an 
indispensable part of American prosperity, and Congress needs to make 
increasing international opportunities a much higher priority.

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