Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the legislation before us to enact permanent normal trade relations with respect to Russia and Moldova. This legislation will also put in place a new mechanism for combating human rights abuses and strengthening the ruling of law in Russia commonly known as the Magnitsky bill. The economic argument for the legislation before us is clear. Russia is the world's sixth largest economy; the world's fifth largest global importer of agricultural products, and home to 140 million potential customers, the largest consumer market in Europe. Russia is already an important and growing market for U.S. businesses. Of the top 15 U.S. trading partners, Russia was the market where American companies enjoyed the fastest export growth last year, at 38 percent. If we enact PNTR, it is estimated that U.S. exports of goods and services to Russia could literally double over the next 5 years. That is why groups ranging from the American Farm Bureau to the National Association of Manufacturers to the National Corn Growers, just to name a few, strongly support PNTR. Just last week I met with representatives from the South Dakota Soybean Association, and I was reminded of the importance of Russia as a growing export market to my State of South Dakota. While greater access to the Russian market will benefit a wide range of U.S.…”