Political Quotes

“I have spent my career working to expand international trade. I firmly believe that free trade, economic stability and political freedom go hand-in-hand. The bill before us today will continue to encourage growth and stability in the Andean region. That said, I would like to add that I also have concerns with Colombia's treatment of American companies and their failure, in some instances, to uphold their contractual obligations. As the author of this bill, I am pleased by the strides made both politically and economically by all of the countries in the legislation. However, given the fact that Kal Kan Foods, a major exporter of pet food to Colombia, has a large plant in my home state, I am very concerned about the effect prohibitive tariffs imposed by Colombia on pet food has on the hard working Americans in my state and across the country. I believe it is essential for ATPA beneficiary countries to follow established WTO rules and adopt, implement and apply transparent-- nondiscriminatory regulatory procedures and enforce their arbitration and court awards. These things are a condition of Colombia's benefits under current Andean trade law. To that end, I have included report language in this bill that directs the USTR to insist that the Colombian government remove all pet food from the price band system and apply 20% common external tariff on imports of pet food.”