Byron Dorgan: “I believe Senator Wellstone will be here as well to speak. I wanted to begin, again, discussing this question because…”

“I believe Senator Wellstone will be here as well to speak. I wanted to begin, again, discussing this question because there seems to be a substantial amount of misinformation and there is a substantial misimpression by many people about what this debate is. I started yesterday by saying this debate is not about whether we should have free trade or expanded trade or more trade. It is not about that. I think we should have expanded trade. I think we should lower barriers, lower tariffs--in fact, eliminate barriers, lower tariffs, and have a world in which we have more opportunity to trade. It's not about those who believe in trade and those who don't. It is a debate about whether our current trade strategy is working for this country. Does the current trade strategy work? Or is this country embarking on a trade strategy and are we in the middle of a trade strategy that, in recent years, has failed us, hurt our economy, injured our manufacturing base, has moved American jobs overseas and put us in a weaker position? I happen to think that is the case.”