On the recordMay 17, 2012
I appreciate the gentleman. As cofounder of the bipartisan Working Group on Export Controls, I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work to address this system, which was created in the midst of the Cold War but remained relatively unchanged despite the amazing advance of technology, which has rendered much of it obsolete. We have an opportunity for reform by supporting the administration's initiatives to deliver greater clarity and efficiency. I think your amendment makes progress. I have three concerns: Provisions, first of all, that deal with the requirement the administration may be called upon to specify--individually--hundreds of thousands of parts that will be transferred, a requirement that may be impossible to comply with; The amendment includes seven new reporting requirements of little use but taking valuable time away from enforcement; And finally, the amendment would remove the President's existing authority, in place since 1998, to waive restriction on satellite exports, limiting his ability to conduct foreign policy. I commend the good work that is in the bill, and hope that these provisions can be addressed as the legislation moves forward. Mr. McKEON. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
