Tom Harkin: “the Senate has just voted on one of the most significant and controversial bills of this Congress. I would like to take…”

“the Senate has just voted on one of the most significant and controversial bills of this Congress. I would like to take this opportunity to share my views on the issues involved and explain the process I went through in making my decision on how to vote on providing normal trade relations status to China. I thought about this matter a great deal and examined the issues very carefully. I listened to the arguments made by my colleagues in this Chamber and to the intense public debate over the past months. Just this last month, along with my colleague, Senator Lautenberg, I visited China. It was the first time I had been back since 1981. We were able to gain some valuable insights into the questions before us. Having listened to the debate on China PNTR, especially in the media, one may have gotten the idea that this is a clear-cut question. If you listened to the proponents, you would think PNTR is a magic elixir for the American economy. If you listened to the opponents, you would think PNTR spells utter disaster. After thoroughly looking into this matter, I concluded the claims of both sides were exaggerated. Passing PNTR was not a slam-dunk or a no-brainer, but neither was it a sellout or a surrender on the critical problems we face with China. It was a matter of judging how the scales tipped: not which side was absolutely correct but which of the alternatives seemed, on balance, the best course to take. This was not an easy decision for me.”