On the recordJuly 18, 2023
Mr. President, in a moment, I am going to put forward a unanimous consent request to pass an important bill exercising Congress's constitutional authority and approving the first modern agreement regulating trade between the United States and Taiwan. The bill was cosponsored by all 48 Democrats and Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee and was ultimately passed in the House of Representatives by a voice vote. It was originally put forward by Ways and Means Committee Chair Smith and Ranking Member Neal, as well as Senator Crapo and myself as chair and ranking member of the Finance Committee. Before I make this unanimous consent request on the bipartisan, bicameral bill called the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st- Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act, I want to highlight, for just a couple of minutes, why this bill is so important. First, the reason behind this proposal, first and foremost, is that the U.S. Congress fully supports deepening our trade relationship with Taiwan and wants to ensure that the recent agreement covering trade facilitation, anti-corruption, and small business is legally sound and durable. Not only is Taiwan a critical market for U.S. exporters, it is a democracy that shares our values and has strong ties with Oregonians and Americans across the land. Next, this body wants to be clear that trade agreements are within the constitutional authority of the Congress.…
Source
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