Orrin Hatch: “I would like to take a few minutes to discuss a matter of great importance in the trade arena. Last week, the Senate…”

“I would like to take a few minutes to discuss a matter of great importance in the trade arena. Last week, the Senate approved legislation granting permanent normal trade relations to Russia and Moldova by a vote of 92 to 4. Such a strong vote would not have been possible without bipartisan cooperation from my Senate colleagues. I would once again like to express my appreciation to all the Republican members of the Finance Committee who worked with me and my staff in good faith to develop a strong enforcement package which addresses many of the concerns we all have with our bilateral trade relations with Russia. I also want to again express my appreciation for the hard work and cooperation of Senator Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee. The process we undertook in the Finance Committee is emblematic of how the Finance Committee should work. It is my sincere hope this will be a model for future legislation. Unfortunately, things don't always work so smoothly. In fact, I was quite disturbed to receive a letter earlier this week from Ambassador Kirk, our trade ambassador, informing me that the Obama administration intends to support approval of the proposed terms for Tajikistan's accession and the invitation for Tajikistan to become a member of the WTO at the upcoming WTO General Council meeting. Let me be clear. I support efforts to help advance the rule of law by bringing countries such as Tajikistan into the World Trade Organization.…”