Senate Finance Committee Passes Trade Promotion Authority

Washington, DC (December 12, 2001) -- The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today applauded Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for their leadership in crafting strong bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority legislation that was passed by the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 18-3.

Trade Promotion Authority legislation will allow negotiators to work for cattle producers to provide increased access to international markets and provide for wider United States participation in the global marketplace.

"American agriculture is the most productive and efficient in the world, but many markets remain out of reach simply because of trade barriers,” said Lynn Cornwell, NCBA’s president and a cattle producer form Glasgow, Montana. United States beef faces tariffs of 38.5 percent and 40 percent, respectively, in Japan and Korea and the EU is the world’s largest user of beef export subsidies. The only way to eliminate those barriers and unfair trade practices is through determined negotiation and the only way to accomplish that is by granting the president Trade Promotion Authority.”

NCBA is an active participant in the Agriculture Coalition for Trade Promotion Authority (AgTrade), a coalition representing food and agriculture groups dedicated to the passage of legislation granting the president Trade Promotion Authority and achieving a multilateral agreement consistent with objectives outlined in Doha during early November. The cattle industry has long urged presidential trade promotion authority as an important tool for serious trade negotiation and for establishing credibility with other nations.

Trade Promotion Authority provides a partnership between Congress and the President to achieve the best possible result for United States interests in international trade negotiations. With Trade Promotion Authority, the President has the authority to efficiently move forward on trade issues while continuing to consult with Congress. Congress then votes the final agreement up or down with no opportunity to amend. Other countries view Trade Promotion Authority as necessary before they will seriously deal with US negotiators and put their “bottom line” proposals on the table.

“NCBA is now confident that the Senate will address this issue in a bipartisan fashion and will continue to work with Senate leadership to assure that it is brought to the floor in a timely manner,” Cornwell added.

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.