WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Ways and Means today concluded the informal markup of draft implementing language for the US-Peru free trade agreement (FTA). The draft bill passed the Committee by voice vote, indicating strong bipartisan support for the agreement. Under fast track rules, the Administration will now submit the formal implementation language to the Congress for the official markup in Committee. Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) offered the following opening remarks during today’s "mock" markup:
"Today is a very special day in my legislative career. I have always admired and respected the broad jurisdiction of this Committee and the leadership we provide to the Members of the House who depend on our hard work to answer questions and offer guidance as our issues come to the House Floor.
"It was with considerable political pain that I witnessed through the years the polarization and division that grew in this Committee, particularly on the issue of trade. Not only were we excluded in the minority, but we never had an opportunity to participate in what I believe to be the constitutional right of the House and this Committee to be involved in trade policy. True, we delegate this responsibility to the Executive Branch, but we thought that -- as relates to U.S. trade policy -- there should not be a Republican or Democratic trade policy. Instead, we should have an American trade policy so that every one of our trading partners knows what our great country stands for.
"I cannot laud the efforts of Ranking Member Jim McCrery enough for trying to make certain that, at the end of the day, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of the Treasury, the House and the Senate would know -- and every country would know -- what America stands for. The question of how we treat other countries’ workers and the environment may not be important to some people, but so many Democrats felt that, just being excluded from the consideration of this in our previous trade policy prevented them from even looking at trade agreements, so we talked, we debated and we agreed that it would be included.
"I cannot tell you the amount of work that Trade Subcommittee Chairman Sandy Levin has put into this to ensure that when we are talking about trade policy we are not just talking about words, but about a policy that every American should feel proud of. As it relates to Peru - even though there were some differences relating to whether we should vote before or after they implemented the changes, anyone reading the statements of President Garcia would know that Peru welcomes the opportunity to provide leadership to make certain that - when we are talk about trade, we are talking, not only about people who work, but the environment in which they work. I cannot see how any American would not be proud of that - whether they are for the bill or not, it is what our great country stands for.
"Being on this Committee means that we have the awesome responsibility to admit that, if we are not in trade, we are losing. Globalization is here and it is not a union, non-union, liberal or conservative issue, it is an issue as to what is good for the American worker and the international community. Our membership on this Committee means that we will have to do things that at times will not be as popular as we would like them to be.
"For today, I think all of us -- Democrats and Republicans alike and especially members of this august Committee -- will have an opportunity to break the polarization and go into a bipartisan agreement asking: "is this good for the United States of America?" "Is working together good for the Congress?" I truly believe that, if it’s good for the Congress, it should be good for the American people whom we are so proud to represent.
"As we move forward, we will deal, not only with the question of trading standards, but with the role that the Administration and the private sector should play concerning the impact of these agreements on people who lost their jobs, lost their opportunity, and who don’t have the training or the education to pick up the pieces and move on in their communities. Whether or not their situation exists because of trade agreements, it is our responsibility to strengthen the American economy, right down to every town and village."
