Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act--Continued

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-CENTRAL AMERICA-UNITED STATES FREE TRADE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT--Continued

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I hope I can say the Senate is going to pass S. 1307. I think we will do that. I am going to work the floor to make sure that happens. We have had an awful lot of support expressed for the bill today, and so I look forward to an announcement of a majority vote.

I think history will record this important legislation as a positive step in the development of democracy and prosperity in the CAFTA countries that has developed over the last 20 years, greatly expanding that. I am also confident that our leadership in passing CAFTA will be rewarded through benefits our Nation enjoys under this trade agreement, and more importantly, in the broader picture, advancing our overall trade agenda, particularly with the Doha round of negotiations going on throughout the course of 2005.

I also want to take a moment to compliment Senator COLEMAN of Minnesota. Senator COLEMAN has worked hard to create export opportunities for his farmers and manufacturers while looking after the interests of his sugar farmers, who Senator COLEMAN clearly cares deeply about.

Senator COLEMAN worked to get his sugar farmers disaster assistance a couple years ago when they were originally ineligible. And now, Senator COLEMAN has secured a commitment from this administration that the sugar import cap established in the farm bill will not be substantively violated as long as this farm bill is in place.

I want to compliment him on his commitment and dedication to his constituents. I appreciate his efforts to find a long-term solution to this complex issue.

I am ready to yield back the balance of time and proceed to a vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the Senate has just passed S.1307, the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. I am confident that history will record this moment as an important positive step in the development of democracy and prosperity in the CAFTA countries. And I am also confident that our leadership in passing CAFTA will be rewarded, through the benefits we will enjoy under this trade agreement and in terms of advancing our overall trade agenda.

First and foremost, today's vote reflects the leadership of President George W. Bush to advance the national economic and security interests of this country. This agreement is another important piece of the President's overall agenda to increase market access opportunities for America's farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and service providers. By passing CAFTA we also strengthen our position in the ongoing Doha Development Agenda negotiations of the World Trade Organization. I hope our Trade Representative, Ambassador Portman, will build upon the momentum created today to press for meaningful progress in the Doha Round negotiations.

I want to thank the members of the Administration who delivered the comprehensive CAFTA agreement. At the top of that list is our former Trade Representative, Ambassador Zoellick, who managed to negotiate such a carefully balanced agreement without taking anything off the table. I firmly believe that the guiding principle for all our trade negotiations must be to deliver comprehensive agreements that do not take anything off the table. I expect our trade negotiators to continue delivering comprehensive agreements like CAFTA. Supporting Ambassador Zoellick closely were Ambassador Allen Johnson, our chief agriculture negotiator, and Regina Vargo, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas. Of course, I am grateful too for the diligence with which Ambassador Portman has focused on CAFTA since taking over as our Trade Representative.

Today's successful outcome would not have been possible without the hard work and sustained effort of a number of dedicated professionals. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts. From the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, I want to thank Mike Smythers, Special Assistant to the President for Senate Affairs. I also want to thank Matt Niemeyer, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs. The long hours they put in to address Senate concerns and to maintain an open dialogue with Members and staff are very much appreciated. And supporting Mr. Niemeyer in those efforts was Jennifer Mulveny, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs. David Oliver, of the Office of General Counsel at USTR, also provided significant legal and technical support both during and after the negotiations were completed.

I want to commend my colleague on the Finance Committee, the ranking member, Senator Baucus. Although we did not agree in our views on CAFTA, we maintained our positive working relationship throughout the process. I hope the folks at home will take note. People may think Washington is mired in partisan bickering, but I think we on the Finance Committee have demonstrated our ability to disagree and still maintain respect for each other and for committee process. I am grateful to Senator Baucus, and very proud of our committee.

My diligent staff on the Finance Committee has worked very hard to make today's vote possible. First and foremost, my chief counsel and staff director, Kolan Davis, deserves recognition. His skills in managing my lengthy legislative agenda are key to my success. The chief international trade counsel to the committee, Everett Eissenstat, also deserves special mention. Without Everett's tireless dedication to passing CAFTA, I really do not think we would be in this position today. I am also grateful for the strong support the rest of my trade staff provided. David Johanson and Stephen Schaefer, international trade counselors to the committee, were instrumental in providing legal advice and technical support, as were Tiffany McCullen Atwell, international trade policy advisor, Claudia Bridgeford, international trade policy assistant, and Russell Ugone, who is on detail to my staff from the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security. And I want to note my gratitude for the many efforts of Zach Paulsen, former International trade policy assistant to the committee.

Senator Baucus' staff also deserves recognition for their professionalism and flexibility in helping to move the legislative process forward. I am grateful to Russ Sullivan, Democratic staff director, and Bill Dauster, deputy staff director, for their accommodation and dedication to the committee. I also appreciate the efforts of Brian Pomper, chief international trade counsel to Senator Baucus, and the other members of the Democratic trade staff: Shara Aranoff, Demetrios Marantis, Anya Landau, Janis Lazda, and Chelsea Thomas.

Finally, I want to identify two people for special recognition. The first is Polly Craighill, senior counsel in the Senate's Office of Legislative Counsel. Her dedication to the Senate is profound. The Finance Committee benefits greatly from Ms. Craighill's expertise in legislative drafting, her tireless efforts, and her constructive perfectionism. Today's vote is in no small part a testament to her skills. I also want to extend my deep gratitude to Jeanne Grimmett, legislative attorney in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service. My staff and I repeatedly called upon Ms. Grimmett to prepare legal research and memoranda in connection with our development of this legislation, and her timely support was instrumental to our success today. I am very grateful.

I look forward to the enactment of this legislation and hope that President Bush will sign it into law very soon.

http://thomas.loc.gov/