On the recordNovember 16, 2012
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I'm speaking in favor of granting Russia and Moldova permanent normal trade relations. I would like to emphasize this will hold only benefits, as was said, for the United States. There is no down side for us in this agreement, unless we fail to act. Now the time has come for us to come together and pass this legislation. As the sponsor of the Moldova PNTR, I'm pleased that the long overdue graduation of Moldova from the Jackson-Vanik amendment is included in this bill. Jim McDermott and I have worked hard on the Moldovan agreement and are very proud and pleased to see that it's included in this bill. Passing this bill will increase America's exports of goods and services substantially and will serve as a no-cost job creator. Currently, exports to Russia support over 1,400 jobs in my home State. In fact, in 1 year, exports from Washington State to Russia grew by 80 percent. If, however, we fail to act, U.S. companies, farmers, and workers will not receive the benefits of the Russian membership, nor will the United States Government have authority to hold Russia accountable to its WTO commitments. So, Madam Speaker, it's my sincere hope that we can pass this legislation and grant Russia and Moldova permanent normal trade relations.
