Max Baucus: “Yesterday the Senate began debate on the Trade Act of 2002. This legislation includes three bills reported by the Senate…”

“Yesterday the Senate began debate on the Trade Act of 2002. This legislation includes three bills reported by the Senate Finance Committee last year: No. 1, an extension of fast track negotiating authority--also known as trade promotion authority; No. 2, an expansion and improvement of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program and No. 3, the Finance Committee's version of the Andean Trade Preferences Act, or ATPA. As the debate moves forward, I suspect other international trade matters may also appropriately be attached to this bill. The Trade Act of 2002 will be the first major rewrite of international trade legislation in 14 years. If passed, it will be, as the National Journal has said, 'a historic breakthrough.' Why are we taking up a trade bill? What does this bill--and the expanded trade that will follow--mean for this country? Trade means jobs. Twelve million Americans--one out of every ten workers--depend on exports for their jobs. These are jobs that pay more--thousands of dollars more per year--than jobs unrelated to trade. Trade supports jobs in all sectors. We often think of trade as helping big multi-national companies. In fact, firms with fewer than 20 workers represent two-thirds of American exporters; and U.S. agriculture exports support more than 750,000 jobs. Trade also means choice. It means more affordable products and more variety for American families. It means that hard-earned paychecks go further.”