Political Quotes

“many people are legitimately concerned about the large U.S. trade deficit, which reached $111 billion in 1995. But few people know that the U.S. Government maintains barriers to American exports to willing customers overseas. In 1993, the respected Institute for International Economics measured this barrier, totaling up to $40 billion in lost U.S. sales abroad. Even if you use the most conservative estimate, the current export control system stymies the creation of 600,000 high-paying, highly skilled jobs. We have entered a new post-cold-war era where our national security threats have fundamentally changed from the large Soviet menace to a select group of smaller national dedicated to developing weapons of mass destruction and to the promotion of state-sponsored terrorism. We need a revised export control system that recognizes these new threats to our national interests while balancing our economic interests. This bill meets that challenge. The new Export Administration Act brings more rationality into the system to provide more predictability and transparency for U.S. exporters. It emphasizes coordination with other nations, as opposed to our usual unilateral sanction, ``shoot ourselves in the foot strategy.'' The new Export Administration Act reduces by almost in half the number of days allowed for issuing export licenses.”