Trent Lott: “I know he feels very strongly about the need for free trade and having open markets, but also that it be fair trade. I…”

“I know he feels very strongly about the need for free trade and having open markets, but also that it be fair trade. I know it is very important to a State such as Iowa, which not only is very much involved in the manufacturing area but particularly in agriculture because we could export a lot more of our agricultural products. I emphasize, once again, the point he made that this Trade Promotion Authority was reported out of the Finance Committee by a vote of 18 to 3, which was a very wide, bipartisan vote. Yet this bill has been languishing. The House passed this legislation on December 6 of last year. I think the Senate should have acted last year. It did not. I think it is imperative that we act within the near future.”