Finance Committee Members Vow to Oppose Amendments to PNTR
WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE) today released a letter signed by members of the Committee expressing their intent to oppose amendments to H.R. 4444, the legislation that would grant normal trade relations to the People's Republic of China. The letter is addressed to the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and has been signed by thirteen members of the Committee, including the ranking member, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY).
"This letter expresses the strong, bipartisan support of the majority of my Committee for moving H.R.4444 through the Senate as expeditiously as possible. The Committee has already shown its support for normalizing our trade relations with the People's Republic of China by reporting out related legislation by a vote of 19-1. My colleagues and I recognize the importance of giving our workers, farmers and businesses the same access to the Chinese market as our competitors will have once China accedes to the World Trade Organization. The House legislation preserves the core of the Finance Committee legislation by making sure that we will have that access, and strikes an appropriate balance in addressing some of the broader aspects of our relationship with China. Today's letter expresses the strong support of my colleagues to pass H.R.4444 without amendment, so that it will come before the President for his signature as soon as possible."
A copy of the letter is attached.
June 11, 2000
Hon. Trent Lott
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Hon. Thomas Daschle
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Leaders:
As members of the Committee on Finance, we are writing to express our strong support for early consideration of legislation making permanent the normal trade relations status of the People's Republic of China (H.R. 4444) and to inform you of our intention to oppose any amendments to this legislation.
This legislation is a matter of vital importance to the national interests of the United States. Normalizing our trade relations is necessary to ensure that our workers, farmers, and industries have the same access to the Chinese market as other World Trade Organization members.
The House-passed bill strikes a thoughtful balance in addressing some of the broader issues in our relationship with China. As such, we support H.R. 4444 in its current form, and will oppose any efforts to amend this legislation. While we are mindful of the prerogatives of the Senate, it is also clear that amendments could unnecessarily delay or place at risk final passage of this legislation.
We understand that scheduling is a complex matter and that there are other pressing issues awaiting consideration by the Senate. Nevertheless, given the importance of this legislation to our economic and national interests, we support consideration of H.R. 4444 as soon as possible, preferably before the July 4th recess.
Thank you for your attention to our concerns. We look forward to working with you on timely and expedited consideration of this important legislation.
Sincerely,
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William V. Roth, Jr. Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Chairman Ranking Member
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