Published August 2001 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Figuring in Fair Trade
I support increased international trade. However, I do not believe that increased trade should come at the cost of fair treatment for American workers and industries. That is why I have voted against trade pacts that would carry a heavy price tag of lost U.S. jobs and businesses. I have opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFT A), permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with China, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and other agreements that I thought did not serve the best interests of most American workers and their families. Workers in the garment industry, the steel industry, the glass and pottery industries, and certain other trades in West Virginia and across the nation have seen their livelihoods shipped to foreign countries because of misguided U.S. trade policy. The Constitution gives Congress the exclusive authority to "regulate commerce with foreign nations." But, for too long, Congress has taken a back seat to Presidents bent on ramming through trade agreements that focus more on our foreign trading partners than on our interests at home. As a result, the American people have less input into trade agreements than they should have. To help produce more balanced trade pacts, U.S. negotiators ought to have more input from the public's Congressional representatives. Expanded Congressional participation will help to reinforce the framework of fair trade. It will give trade agreements greater legitimacy and increase public understanding of the costs and benefits of globalization. The Constitution demands that Congress make this effort, and the people expect it. That is why Senator Max Baucus of Montana and I recently introduced legislation to create a Congressional Trade Office (CTO). This nonpartisan trade office, modeled on the Congressional Budget Office which provides Congress with unbiased budget data, would allow Congress better access to information about trade negotiations and the impact of trade agreements on the U.S. economy. The CTO would provide Congress with trade data and analyses, observe negotiations, evaluate trade dispute resolution proceedings, and monitor international compliance with major trade agreements. It is Congress's duty under the Constitution to make sure that American interests are properly reflected as marketplaces around the world become more interconnected. The Congressional Trade Office would provide Congress with the information necessary to act as a watchdog for the interests of U.S. workers and industries. Establishment of such an office would help to ensure that the wrecking ball of unfair trade does not continue to topple the hopes and dreams of American families. August 29, 2001