Byron Dorgan: “I noted in a news report recently something which I have heard previously. The news reported that President Clinton and…”

“I noted in a news report recently something which I have heard previously. The news reported that President Clinton and his administration will in just a matter of days from now, on September 10, send a legislative proposal to give President Clinton and this administration something called fast track trade authority. Now, that might sound like a foreign language to a lot of folks, but the notion of fast track trade authority is relatively simple. It is that trade negotiators shall negotiate trade agreements between the United States and other countries, then bring these trade agreements to the Congress, and they shall be considered in Congress under something called fast track procedures. That means no one here in the Congress is allowed to or will be able to offer amendments to alter that proposed trade agreement. That is what fast track means. It is a special deal for a trade agreement brought back to Congress so that all Members of Congress are prevented from offering amendments. Members of Congress will be allowed only to vote yes or no on the entire agreement.”