Max Baucus: “I rise with some reluctance to oppose the proposed amendment which I believe may be offered by the Senator from…”

“I rise with some reluctance to oppose the proposed amendment which I believe may be offered by the Senator from Missouri, [Mr. Danforth]. I am in this position reluctantly because I have the highest regard for Senator Danforth as a leader on international trade issues. He and I have worked together, for example, to extend Super 301, win passage of NAFTA, win passage of the 1988 trade act, and win trade negotiating authority for at least two administrations. I have the deepest admiration for his contributions to trade policy, and I see him as one of my most valued friends and allies in the Senate. I also share his concerns regarding the impact of the new GATT agreement on our countervailing duty or antisubsidy laws. The fact is that our trade laws, that is, our American trade laws, counterveiling, antidumping, section 301, are critical to American trade policy. These laws have taken us further in the direction of a genuinely free-trade provision than any other trade agreements. They are the backbone of American trade policy, and they cannot be traded away from any trade agreement.”