[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[June 18, 2001]
[Pages 694-697]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to Agricultural Leaders
June 18, 2001

    Well, thank you very much. It's nice to be home. [Laughter] And 
welcome to the people's home. As I'm sure you can imagine, it is an 
unimaginable honor to live

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here, and it was an unimaginable honor to represent our Nation overseas.
    We had a really good trip, and I'm sure Ambassador 
Zoellick will brief you on the trip after 
I say a few words. But let me just say to you that--well, first, let me 
thank Ann Veneman for the job she's doing. I 
knew when I picked her, I picked a really smart, capable leader. And she 
has fulfilled all expectations. She's going to do a great job as 
representing an incredibly important part of our Nation's economy and 
our Nation's culture. So, Madam Secretary, thank you very much for your 
leadership.
    Zoellick, thank you, sir, for your 
leadership, as well. I told people when I--that should I become the 
President, we would never use agriculture as a throwaway, as just a 
bargaining tool. And when I interviewed my friend Bob 
Zoellick, who I've known for a while, I 
said, ``I want you to understand, the cornerstone of good trade policy 
is good ag policy. And we're not going to leave our farmers and ranchers 
behind when it comes to international agreements. '' And I think you're 
going to find when he talks to you and when you question him, he's going 
to hold true to that philosophy. And I'm proud of his work. He's tough 
and he's steady, and I've got a pretty good look at who he's negotiating 
against--[laughter]--but he's going to do a fine job for all of America, 
including the agricultural sector.
    I'm honored that Members of the United States Senate are here and 
Members of the House of Representatives are here. Mr. Chairman--well, 
Mr. Ex-Chairman. [Laughter] Thank you all for coming. [Laughter]
    We're going to discuss here an incredibly important issue, and that 
is, how do we make sure American agriculture thrives and survives and 
grows stronger over time? It starts with understanding a couple of 
things: One, that we needed tax relief so that those farmers and 
ranchers who are actually in the black can keep more of what they make. 
And thanks to Members here, we got good tax relief.
    And by the way, we also eliminated the death tax, which is 
incredibly important to American agriculture. And I want to thank you 
all on the stage here for--as well as your Members, for working hard to 
make the case that getting rid of the death tax is only fair, and that 
for those who worry about urban sprawl and issues such as that, that 
getting rid of the death tax is going to allow the family farm or the 
family ranch to pass from one generation to the next. And so it's a good 
piece of legislation, and many of you all helped make the case. And for 
that, all of us are grateful.
    I also said in the campaign I'd work for value-added processing, 
that I wanted to make sure that the products we grew at home here had 
received enhanced value because of U.S. processing. And part of our 
energy plan, as you learned recently, includes ethanol. And that's an 
important part of an agriculture and an energy and an environmental mix 
that I think is best for the United States of America.
    And finally, trade--and it's incredibly important for our Americans 
to understand how important trade is. The agricultural sector 
understands that. Twenty-five percent of farm receipts are generated by 
exports. One-quarter of all the revenues coming into the farm economy 
are generated as a result of a farmer in America or a rancher in America 
selling that product overseas. And that's as it should be. Our farmers 
and ranchers are the most efficient producers in the world. This is an 
area where our country has a competitive advantage. We're really good at 
it. And the job of this administration must be to open up more markets 
for ag products.
    I used to tell people in the course of the campaign, I want America 
to feed the world. I want our great Nation that's a land of great, 
efficient producers to make sure people don't go hungry. And it starts 
with having an administration committed to

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knocking down barriers to trade, and we are.
    And you're about to hear from the Trade Representative, Ambassador 
Zoellick, who will describe to you a 
couple of things: One, that we want a new round of WTO discussions 
started with ag at its core. And it will be. I know there are some 
concerns about NAFTA in the country, but if people look at the 
statistics, farm exports to Mexico have doubled, nearly doubled, since 
NAFTA. That's important. I do believe we ought to expand the free trade 
of the Americas. I want this whole hemisphere trading in freedom, and I 
think it makes sense for our farmers and ranchers to do so.
    In order for me to be as effective as I can be--and by the way, we 
understand this, too, and this is important for people to understand, 
that our farmers face incredible barriers to trade. And let me just give 
you a few statistics. The EU's tariffs for over-quota beef is between 91 
percent and 177 percent. Japan's tariff for over-quota wheat is between 
242 percent and 256 percent. Canada's tariff on over-quota butter is 
between 299 percent and 314 percent. Not only do America's farmers and 
ranchers face overt tariffs, there's hidden barriers as well, such as 
unscientific thought about the products we grow. One of the things 
Ambassador Zoellick and I talked about is 
making decisions based upon sound science, and not using science as a--
or false science as a way to block entry for U.S. products.
    And Zoellick also came back with some 
pretty good news from China. I don't know if you have all been following 
his negotiations there, but we're beginning to get our bilateral 
agreement with China made. And he can give you the details. But the 
agreement with China will end export subsidies and, we anticipate, boost 
U.S. agricultural exports to China by $2 billion a year. He sat down and 
rolled up his sleeves and kept in mind what I asked him to do, and he 
delivered a good agreement.
    But there's more to do, and he told the Chinese that our bilateral 
agreements--that compliance, an early test of their willing to trade, 
will depend upon bilateral agreements on citrus and wheat, meat. And so 
we're just making--we're beginning to open up that big market. And I 
think the Ambassador deserves a lot of 
credit. But don't give him any until he describes exactly what he did to 
you. [Laughter]
    But what I really want to do is to urge you all to help us get a 
trade promotion authority bill out of the Congress. I realized how 
important that was when I went overseas. I realized how important it was 
when I was at the Summit of the Americas. We've got countries in our 
hemisphere saying, ``Will you trade with us?'' And I say,``You bet.'' 
It's a free-trading administration, so long as everything is level and 
fair. And they say, ``But how can we know you can trade with us, when we 
negotiate a deal and you don't have the authority to strike it without 
having to submit the bills to every single amendment there could be up 
on the Hill?'' You see, they recognize that other Presidents used to 
have trade promotion authority, and now I don't.
    And we're missing some great opportunities, not only in our 
hemisphere but around the world. These are opportunities for people who 
earn a living the hard way. These are hard--these are opportunities for 
hard-working ranchers and farmers. These are opportunities for working 
people.
    I believe the more we trade overseas, the more prosperity there is 
at home. And I urge the Congress--and I know the Members here understand 
this--to pass trade promotion authority so this administration can open 
up markets all around the world. This is an important piece of 
legislation. This legislation is one of my top priorities because it's--
a top priority of mine is the health of the agriculture sector in 
America.
    You know, my wife just took off for Crawford, 
Texas, today. When we go there, people are wondering whether or not they

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can make a living off the land. And they're more likely to be able to do 
so with more markets open. And I mean a trade promotion authority bill, 
too, that's not laden down with all kinds of excuses not to trade. I 
want a bill that doesn't have these codicils on it that frighten people 
from trading with us. I like to remind people that if you're a poor 
nation, it's going to be hard to treat your people well, and if you're a 
poor nation, it's going to be hard to have good environmental policy. 
And trade is the best way to eliminate poverty. Therefore, our trade 
agreements ought to be free from codicils which prevent us from freely 
trading.
    And so I want to thank you for coming to the White House to give me 
an opportunity to urge you to work with these five Senators and three 
Congressmen, to work hard to get this trade promotion authority moving. 
The power to be--well, most of the power that be--sits right here. And 
these Members can use your help, as can we.
    This call to arms for trade promotion authority is not a hollow 
call. This is important. It's not only important for this President; 
it's important for future Presidents because the world is a fantastic 
opportunity for us. And it's an opportunity we have got to seize if we 
expect to have prosperity in one of the most vital sectors in our 
Nation, and that's prosperity on our farms and ranches--a place not only 
where people will hopefully be able to make a good living but a place 
where people nurture the great values of America, faith and family.
    It's my honor to be here, to have you here. Thanks for coming. I 
appreciate so very much your giving us a chance to call you into action. 
I'm honored to be up here with your leaders, and I do want to thank the 
Members of the Senate and the House for being here, as well.
    God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 2:28 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House.