NCGA
Applauds Senate Approval of Key Trade Amendment (9-23-05)
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) applauds Senate approval
of a key trade amendment that will give U.S. negotiators the ability
to work for strong trade agreements that are free and fair.
The amendment, offered by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), is part
of the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill and ensures
that funds can only be used to negotiate trade agreements that preserve
the ability of the United States to vigorously enforce U.S. trade
laws.
Prior to the Senate action last week, NCGA along with 33 other agriculture
and business organizations sent a letter to Sen. Grassley urging
adoption of the his amendment. Grassley subsequently read the letter
for the record to the entire Senate on the Senate floor.
The Grassley amendment was in response to an amendment offered
by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) that essentially would have taken
U.S. trade remedy laws off the negotiating table. According to
Grassley, “such
a result would have inevitably led to other nations’ taking
entire sectors off the negotiating table, thus cutting off our ability
to use Trade Promotion Authority to eliminate market access barriers
to U.S. goods and services.”
“The Grassley amendment is important to our growers because
it affirms a strong, free and fair trade stance for agriculture,” said
Bob Bowman, NCGA Joint Trade Policy A-Team members. “Corn growers
rely on trade, and new and open markets are vital to their livelihoods.
We must have a strong commitment to trade as our negotiators work
with other countries in the World Trade Organization.”
June Silverberg,
NCGA director of public policy said Congress must work to assure
U.S. corn and corn products have full access to world markets. “Free
and Fair trade agreements will do just that.”
In Grassley’s
floor statement, he said his amendment makes it clear no funds
may be used to negotiate trade agreements that do not enable the
United States to preserve its ability to enforce rigorously its
trade laws, including antidumping and safeguard laws.
In addition, under the amendment the U.S. trade negotiators must
avoid agreements that lessen the effectiveness of domestic and international
disciplines on unfair trade, especially dumping and subsidies, or
that lessen the effectiveness of domestic and international safeguard
provisions.
To view the letter to Sen. Grassley from NCGA and the other agriculture
and business organizations in it’s entirely, please click on
the following link.