Don Nickles: “I congratulate Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus for the way they have managed this bill. They have conducted their…”

“I congratulate Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus for the way they have managed this bill. They have conducted their work in a very appropriate way. They had hearings on this bill. I want to compliment Ambassador Zoellick. Our trade negotiator did an outstanding job in putting this together. This trade agreement is a win/win. It is a win for Australia and it is a win for the United States. I am pleased to see the Senate work as it is supposed to work. We had hearings on it. We had a markup in committee. We are now having it considered on the floor. This is going to open additional markets and reduce tariffs for the United States. It is going to be a win for Australia as well. Both countries, strong allies, will benefit as a result. Prime Minister Howard of Australia has been a good friend and ally of the United States. He has been steadfast in helping us in many ways, trade being one of them. Again, free trade, equal trade, open access, we are winning or gaining more because the tariffs were higher on their side in many respects and so this is positive for United States consumers and for Australian consumers. Again, I want to compliment the administration for proposing this agreement, for the work that was done by our trade negotiators, and also by Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus for bringing this up so quickly on the floor, getting it through the Finance Committee and ultimately through the Senate today.”