On the recordNovember 16, 2012
This is a jobs bill, pure and simple. It levels the playing field in Russia for American energy, agriculture, manufacturing, services, and our growing technology industry to be able to compete on a level playing field in that country with our competitors: China, Europe, Brazil, and others. This bill means more sales to the ninth largest economy in the world and more jobs here at home as a result. America gives up nothing in this legislation, but it stands to gain much. Creating that leveled playing field is important to job creation. But this bill also holds Russia accountable to live up to its obligations, to play by the same trade rules everyone else in this world does as well. That means a chance to protect and the means to insist that our intellectual property rights be protected, to insist that sound science be used on food safety, to insist, again, that there are not artificial barriers either at the front door or the back to American products and services being sold in Russia. This legislation also creates important new tools to continue to pressure Russia to make progress on the important issue of human rights. For Texas, our State, this is an important issue because Russia is our fastest growing trade partner. We are the number one exporter. Our growth and sales grew by almost a third last year alone. But it is broader than that. It's important to every State in the United States. It's important to our trading relationship.…
