Max Baucus: “before we conclude today, I would be remiss if I did not thank a number of people. First, in the House, I want to thank…”

“before we conclude today, I would be remiss if I did not thank a number of people. First, in the House, I want to thank Chairman Bill Thomas. He and I disagree on some things--that's for sure. But we share a common goal of both expanding trade and helping workers left behind by trade. And we share the goal of getting this to the President's desk as soon as possible so that we can help jump-start this economy. We worked together to craft a strong trade bill--and I thank him for his efforts. Second--I want to thank Congressmen Cal Dooley, John Tanner, and Bill Jefferson, who helped craft the House fast track legislation, and also Anna Eshoo and Ken Bentsen, who provided so much help on TAA. In the Senate, I first want to thank Senator Daschle, who has helped this trade bill move through every step of the process. I also want to thank two Senators who played a key role during the committee process-- Senator Bingaman for his efforts on TAA and Senator Bob Graham on ATPA. And I appreciate Senator Breaux's work both during the Senate negotiations and during the conference. I also want to give credit to a number of Senators whose efforts made this legislation much better.”