Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Asia- South Pacific Trade Preferences Act of 2013, a bill to promote economic growth, democracy, and political stability in some of the world's poorest countries. This legislation will provide duty-free and quota-free benefits for garments and other products similar to those afforded to beneficiary countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, AGOA. The countries covered by this legislation are 13 Least Developed Countries, LDCs, as defined by the United Nations and the U.S. State Department, which are not covered by any current U.S. trade preference program: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Laos, Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, East Timor, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. These countries are among the poorest in the world with the bulk of their citizens living on less than $1 a day. Despite this widespread poverty, their exports are subject to some of the highest U.S. tariffs, averaging around 16 percent. In fact, these developing countries pay a disproportionate share of U.S. tariffs. Bangladesh, for example, is the 9th largest contributor of U.S. tariffs even though it is the 46th largest source of U.S. imports. Cambodia is the 12th largest contributor of U.S. tariffs but ranks as the 60th largest source of U.S. imports. So, in essence, these two developing countries pay more in U.S. tariffs than many European countries. How is that fair or consistent with our values?…”