Political Quotes

“the Jackson-Vanik amendment to the 1974 Trade Act focuses on using various U.S. trade inducements to pressure non-market countries to allow freedom of emigration. It is not supposed to be a total referendum on that nation's internal policies, and it has nothing to do with MFN, and it has nothing to do with other human rights violations, other than the freedom to emigrate. That is what we are talking about today. The practical effect of this waiver simply allows U.S. exporters to operate more efficiently in Vietnam. Our exporters face an uneven playing field when trying to sell to Vietnam. Foreign competitors have long had the support of their home governments, equivalents of the Eximbank, OPIC, TDA, and the USDA. Foreign countries have taken export opportunities away from Americans, simply because our foreign competitors obtained a government-subsidized rate for an export loan, or dangled a foreign aid incentive before certain Vietnamese government officials. Japan alone has an $850 million developmental assistance package to induce countries like Vietnam to buy Japanese exports. Finally, we got the message, and the President's waiver is making a difference, particularly on infrastructure projects. U.S. workers are now making products to sell to Vietnam. Vietnam prefers buying American products. The waiver does not lower any U.S. import duties on Vietnamese products. It is totally one-sided in our favor in terms of our balance of trade.”