Political Quotes

“the Oman Free Trade Agreement is not a threat to American workers, and it could help us build better relations in the Middle East. I believe that the administration has handled its relationship with Congress on this agreement poorly, but our foreign policy interests in the region require greater engagement with it. For this reason, I am voting for this agreement. The economics of the agreement are negligible. U.S. exports entering Oman today face tariffs that this agreement will remove. As a result, American sales to that country will increase by about 14 percent, or $41 million. This increase is a very small share of U.S. exports to the world--less than .05 percent--making the effect on U.S. output and employment minimal. On the import side, according to the International Trade Commission, ``the expected changes in U.S. trade with Oman . . . would likely be very small and, therefore, have almost no effect on U.S. imports, employment, or welfare.'' In other words, imports would be so small that they don't even register. Because the economic impact on the United States is not a compelling factor, I believe that we must base our vote on the kind of message it sends about our approach to trade generally and the potential effects of trade agreements on our foreign policy. In general, I believe that more trade between the U.S. and other countries is good. It helps build constructive political relationships and can create wealth both here and abroad.…”