Henry Cuellar: “Thank you, Mr. Crowley. I certainly appreciate the hard work of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel and the ranking…”

“Thank you, Mr. Crowley. I certainly appreciate the hard work of Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Rangel and the ranking member, Mr. McCrery, as well as Sandy Levin, working with the administration to come up with an agreement. This is very important. Let me give you some of my personal experience. I am from Laredo, Texas, which is the largest inland port in the U.S. If you want to see trade, go to a place like Laredo, Texas. I have seen not only the primary jobs that are created, but also the secondary jobs it creates when we talk about international trade. When you look at the U.S. economy, the $12 trillion economy is bolstered by trade, which is a pillar of our American economic power. In 2005, U.S. exports to the rest of the world totaled $1.2 trillion and supported one in five of the U.S. manufacturing jobs we have. Jobs directly linked to the export of goods pay 13 percent to 18 percent more than the U.S. jobs that we have. Agriculture exports hit a record high in 2005 and now account for 926 jobs that we have. So trade creates jobs, and I think the balanced approach of the new Democrats plays a role in developing this and is something that is so important to us. I believe in trade for several reasons. It is not only the economics, but the other thing is, we have to stay engaged in the dialogue. If, for whatever reason, the United States would turn against trade, that is not going to stop the world.…”