Wayne Allard: “I believe I should speak from a position of representing a State that has benefited immensely from the trade agreements…”

“I believe I should speak from a position of representing a State that has benefited immensely from the trade agreements that we have passed recently--the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs. Exports from the State of Colorado, which I represent, have increased dramatically. In fact, we have experienced the greatest growth in exports of any State in the Nation on a percentage basis. The economy of the State of Colorado is based greatly on agriculture. We grow a lot of wheat. We raise a lot of livestock, and we do make an attempt to expand our markets to the Pacific rim countries, which includes China. We have a very modern economic base in the State. We work a lot on exporting high tech. Many high-tech companies do business in the State of Colorado. On a concentration basis, we have the highest concentration of high-tech employees of any State in the country. So we benefit from exporting goods, and the North American Free Trade Agreement has helped the State of Colorado, and GATT has also.”