William Tauzin: “let me say no one needs to be beamed up on this vote. This is a vote to confirm not only the appointment of Charlene…”

“let me say no one needs to be beamed up on this vote. This is a vote to confirm not only the appointment of Charlene Barshefsky, who is now our Deputy Trade Representative, to the Trade Representative, but also to pass a waiver that is necessary for that confirmation to be complete. I want to first congratulate her on a near unanimous confirmation in the Senate and the near unanimous vote in the Senate on behalf of this resolution. Let me point out that Charlene Barshefsky was already at USTR as Deputy Trade Representative when the law in question was passed last year. So this grandfathering is in fact a recognition of her already and continuous service at the USTR. Let me also state that as chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Trade of the Committee on Commerce, we have all been extraordinarily impressed with the caliber of service that this ambassador has already provided to this country. She has worked cooperatively with our committee in keeping us informed and interacting with us throughout all the WTO negotiations in Geneva that led to the successful passage of the recent agreement in Geneva on telecommunications and opening up those markets all over the world to U.S. investment. That action alone is going to create opportunities for American jobs and businesses throughout the world in telecommunications.”