Byron Dorgan: “I would not support it for President Clinton and I will not support it for this President, and I want to explain why. I…”

“I would not support it for President Clinton and I will not support it for this President, and I want to explain why. I believe a band of Senators who feel as passionately as I do about our trade policy believe it is not only undemocratic to cede to someone else the ability to go to negotiated trade agreements with the promise that no Senator has the opportunity to offer a change to that agreement when it comes to the floor of the Senate. But I also want to explain why I think those who have negotiated our trade agreements are not entitled to be given a blank check for trade negotiation authority by this Congress. Let me give a couple of examples to describe why. Here is what has happened to our merchandise trade deficit. It has ballooned from $132 billion in 1993 to $449 billion last year. It is exploding.”