Judd Gregg: “I will speak briefly on the pending legislation, which is the trade promotion authority, the trade adjustment authority…”

“I will speak briefly on the pending legislation, which is the trade promotion authority, the trade adjustment authority, the Andean trade agreement, the general agreement on tariffs language. There is that old adage: If there are two things you do not want to watch being made, one is sausage, the other is law. Regrettably, that applies to this undertaking. For reasons which still escape me but which appear to be necessary from the standpoint of the administration, there was a negotiation which occurred which involved how this bill would come to the floor. The majority leader decided to, out of the course which is typical, hook three major pieces of legislation together: Andean trade, trade adjustment, and trade promotion. Traditionally, trade promotion, which has historically been noted as fast track, has been taken up as a single issue. It was not linked to trade adjustment nor with another treaty, which in this case would be the Andean trade promotion agreement. But the majority leader decided to bring the three to the floor, and the administration, working through the leadership on the Republican side of the aisle, working with Senator Grassley, Senator Lott, and Senator Gramm, entered into extensive negotiations as to the makeup of the final package.”