Dianne Feinstein: “Mr. President I rise today in opposition to the Cochran/Durbin amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. The…”

“Mr. President I rise today in opposition to the Cochran/Durbin amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. The amendment would bar the sale of many types of computers, denying export opportunities for American firms, shifting high-technology sales to international competitors and flooding the Commerce Department with export applications for routine computer sales. Rather than impose new restrictions, the Senate should adopt a substitute amendment, offered by Senator Rod Grams of Minnesota and my California colleague Barbara Boxer. The Grams/Boxer substitute would: Require the Commerce Department to improve its licensing process and provide more information to exporters, assisting exporters to identify suspicious potential purchasers and avoid questionable sales. Require the General Accounting Office to study the impact of proposed export restrictions and the impact of foreign availability of computers on U.S. exports. Rather than restrict a broad range of computer exports, the Grams/Boxer substitute amendment will help the administration and exporters distinguish between the potentially damaging sales that place us at risk and the routine computer sales.”