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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be dispensed with.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I do want to, as I have the privilege of so often doing, express my thanks to my Democratic colleague, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, for his cooperation particularly on this United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement that we were able to unanimously report out of our committee. The reason I want to emphasize ``unanimous'' isn't just to be complimentary to Senator Baucus but also to the people of this country who think that everything done in this Congress is always so partisan, that Republicans and Democrats never get along, that we never talk to each other, that we never agree on anything. I can see why they have that impression because that is the impression the news media of America gives about the Congress of the United States. But as practical matter, nothing gets done in the Senate that isn't somewhat bipartisan, and particularly there is quite a tradition of bipartisanship in our Senate Committee on Finance.

This recent bill that is before us, the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, is the latest representation of that bipartisan cooperation.

I thank Senator Baucus very much.

I give strong support to the bill S. 2027; that is, the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.

This legislation is not only good for our U.S. economy, but it is also going to promote free trade, which is an economic issue as it creates jobs, but it also promotes democracy, and it promotes economic stability.

In regard to economic stability, the reason I emphasize that is because the Middle East is seen as an area of the world that is not very stable. I think that enhancing trade with those countries, large or small, is going to bring great economic stability which in turn ought to bring some political stability.

On top of all this, it is going to cement our ties with this small kingdom of Bahrain. That country is a very strong ally of the United States in that region.

This trade agreement is a clear win for our economy. It will create jobs.

Upon entry into force of this agreement, Bahrain will immediately eliminate 100 percent of its duties on imports of U.S. consumer and industrial products.

U.S. farmers will also benefit. On day one of the agreement, Bahrain will grant duty-free access on 98 percent of its tariff lines that apply to U.S. agricultural as well as food products. Duties with respect to that small remaining 2 percent will be phased out over a period of 10 years.

This is solid market access for U.S. farmers and U.S. manufacturers.

U.S. service providers will also gain from this agreement.

Bahrain will provide substantial market access across its entire service regime. The service provisions of the agreement are based upon a ``negative list'' approach, which means that all service sectors are covered. In other words, there will be trade in all service sectors unless they are specifically excluded as a result of the list.

Bahrain is already a major center for service providers in the Middle East, and the government recognizes that its service sector can become even stronger through economic liberalization. Because of this agreement, as the region develops, there is going to be very enhanced opportunities for U.S. exporters.

While it is important to note how the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement will benefit the economy of the United States in the aggregate, it is even more important to point out how it will benefit individual U.S. companies and their workers.

For me, I didn't have to look very far to find Iowa workers and Iowa companies that benefit from this agreement.

For example, the HNI Corporation--it used to be referred to as the HON Corporation--the Fortune 500 company in my State,
this company in Muscatine, IA, looks forward to the implementation of this trade agreement. HNI is the second largest manufacturer of office furniture in North America. It is specifically targeting the Bahraini market for increased sales. So HNI employees in Iowa as well as other States will benefit from Senate passage of the agreement.

Workers at the Lennox residential heating and cooling products factory in Marshalltown, IA, also stand to gain from the agreement. Lennox has a strong interest in increasing its sales in Bahrain. Like HNI, Lennox has a presence in many States, so its employees not only in Iowa but throughout the country will benefit from the implementation of this agreement.

Smaller businesses throughout the United States also stand to benefit from this trade agreement. One such company is Midamar Corporation located in Cedar Rapids. The Midamar Corporation supplies halal food and food service equipment to restaurants, hotels, and distributors throughout the world. This company was started in 1972 by Cedar Rapids native Bill Aossey. When Bill returned to Iowa after serving in the Peace Corps and traveling throughout the Middle East, he came up with the idea of starting a company dedicated to exporting Iowa products. Now, 33 years later, Bill has a lot to show for this hard work. He employs 30 Iowans and the Midamar Corporation is very much a clear success.

I visited the Midamar facility last August and I can report Bill Aossey and his employees are very enthusiastic about this prospect of a trade agreement with Bahrain being implemented so they can even do more business in the Middle East.

Aside from the immediate benefits to United States exporters to Bahrain, this agreement's impact will extend beyond Bahrain. The United States is promoting trade liberalization and economic growth in other countries in the Middle East and this agreement will serve as the template for other trade agreements being negotiated in the region. The solid gains for U.S. farmers, workers, manufacturers, and service providers found in this agreement may be replicated in other free trade agreements of their region.

This has already happened with the country of Oman. The United States recently concluded a free trade agreement with Oman that was based largely upon our agreement with Bahrain so the benefits to HNI Corporation, Lennox, and Midamar that I have identified will be multiplied as other Arab countries adopt free trade agreements with the United States that are based largely upon the Bahrain agreement.

This is all part of a broader goal and that was expressed in May 2000 by President Bush proposing a plan of graduated steps for Middle Eastern nations to increase trade and investment with the United States and others in the world economy, culminating with the establishment of the Middle East Free Trade Agreement by the year 2013. The importance of this vision of President Bush was brought home on July 22, 2004, when the report of the 9/11 Commission was released. That report contains as one of its key recommendations that ``comprehensive United States strategy to counterterrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies and opportunities for people who improve the lives of their families and to enhance the prospect of their children's future.''

Our trade agreement with Bahrain is an important achievement in that area and joins previously concluded bilateral trade agreements between the United States and Israel, Jordan, and Morocco. The agreement with Bahrain is an important part of a broader effort to encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and to enhance prospects for their children's future throughout the Middle East.

Finally, I urge my colleagues to support this bill before the Senate implementing the United States-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.

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