STATEMENT FROM REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES B. RANGEL
Ranking Democrat, Committee on Ways and Means

Wednesday, September 26, 2001

CONTACT: Dan Maffei 202/225-3526

REP. RANGEL RESPONDS TO USTR'S ZOELLICK'S CLAIM THAT CONGRESS MUST PASS "FAST TRACK" TO HELP IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

It's unfair to "wrap a trade promotion authority bill in the flag"

As a combat war veteran and as a person whose city has been attacked and suffered devastating losses as a result, I am offended by the strategy of the current United States Trade Representative to use the tragedy in New York and at the Pentagon to fuel political momentum behind a partisan "Fast Track" proposal. I have provided unchallenged support for bipartisan solutions to whatever problems our nation has faced and faces, and served in leadership roles with Speaker Hastert, former Chairman Archer, Chairman Crane and many others across the aisle on every recent trade agreement including trade bills for the Caribbean, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, as well as China PNTR. To have the USTR attack the patriotism of Americans for their failure to support an unwritten, undisclosed bill demands a public apology. To do this and then leave for Russia is even more extraordinary.

USTR Robert Zoellick clearly has decided that the horrible attack launched upon the U.S. gives him an opportunity to promote a "Fast Track" trade authority bill that the Bush Administration had failed to move forward prior to September 11. Last Thursday, the Washington Post published an article by him entitled "Countering Terror With Trade" in which he argues that in the wake of the attack, "Congress now needs to send an unmistakable signal to the world that the United States is committed to global leadership... most important, Congress needs to enact U.S. trade promotion authority ... ." Yesterday, he urged an audience to press for passage of the legislation, "indicating that by doing so they would be contributing to the fight against terrorism," according to Congress Daily. He posed the question "Do you think that America's international economic engagement should be part of this strategy, or should we just leave it to the military side?"

Mr. Zoellick clearly is using the attack and its aftermath as leverage to pressure Democrats to support giving the President Fast Track authority. On Monday, Mr. Zoellick stated, "(O)ver the past week or so, that process, I think, has gained some additional momentum. And in my discussions with a number of Democratic members over the past week, I have found, if anything, increased interest after September 11th, ... ."

There is no one I know of in the House - Republican or Democrat - who does not appreciate that the world has changed, and the importance of U.S. leadership. We understand Congress' Constitutional responsibility to work with the President in setting trade policy while not micro-managing.

We also understand that, as the world's most important power, we have a responsibility to workers around the world, to the environment in which we share, and to the Constitution. Nations should not be permitted to gain unfair trade advantages by shirking accepted fundamental labor standards or humanity's responsibility to protect our environment. And Congress cannot forget its Constitutional responsibility to be a full partner with the President in setting trade policy.

I want to emphasize that there has been no plan for "Trade Promotion Authority" presented to the House, or put before the Committee on Ways and Means. There has been no substantive discussion with the Democratic leadership of the Committee or the House. To wrap a trade promotion authority bill in the flag and have us salute it when we haven't even seen it is unfair. The "number of Democrats" that have been consulted is, to the best of anyone's knowledge, three - two of which are on the Committee.

And these two Democrats have expressed to me in no uncertain terms that they do not subscribe to this attempt to wrap the flag around any Fast Track bill in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

To appeal to patriotism in an effort to force Congress to move on Fast Track by claiming it is needed to fight terrorism would be laughable if it weren't so serious. That the U.S. Trade Representative would engage in this political tactic even while Committee Democrats were meeting and working to see what we could come up with to support the President leads us to doubt the sincerity of the Administration to give priority to passage of a truly bipartisan fast track/TPA.

Again, no one doubts the importance of America's economic leadership, a part of which involves trade, a part of which involves Fast Track. But this war is not about passing Fast Track trade authority! The war is about the victims who died on airplanes, in the Pentagon, and in lower Manhattan and is about our doing everything we can to see that justice is done and that terrorist acts do not happen in the future.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

Margrete Strand Rangnes
Field Director
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
215 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Washington DC, 20003 USA
mstrand@citizen.org
www.tradewatch.org
Ph: + 202-454-5106, Fax: + 202-547 7392