03.16.10

Sheldon Calls for Up or Down Vote on Trade Nominees

Thank you, Senator Warner.

Madame President, the last two years have seen the American economy on the brink of collapse, battered by an economic maelstrom not seen since the Great Depression, and now slowly - too slowly - recovering its strength. President Obama's Recovery Act led the way, and we've seen its benefits over the last year, with job losses slowing significantly. He inherited an economy losing I think 700,000 jobs a month and it's now back to nearly break even.

An essential element of this recovery has been encouraging thriving export markets, and last week President Obama laid out his plan to double exports in five years - an initiative which could create up to 2 million jobs. As the President said, "In a time when millions of Americans are out of work, boosting our exports is a short-term imperative."

But for international trade to function, our government must participate fully in international trade negotiations, advocating fair and open trading rules that allow American businesses to compete and export. Yet a single Senator, the Republican Senator from Kentucky, has blocked the President's nominees for two key trade positions, nominees who cleared the committee with strong positive votes. Michael Punke, nominated as deputy trade representative to Geneva, and Islam Siddiqui, nominated to be chief agricultural negotiator, deserve an up or down vote in the U.S. Senate.

In this economic crisis, why in the world would a Senator hold up such important appointments for our exports and for our economy, hobbling this administration's ability to fully participate in international trade talks? Well the Senator from Kentucky has told us why - to try to force U.S. Trade Representative Rob Kirk to file a complaint regarding Canada's recently passed anti-smoking law. Yes - believe it or not the Senator from Kentucky is blocking the appointment of critical U.S. international trade officials to try to force the administration to put pressure on Canada to change its anti-smoking law.

I'm sure the tobacco industry is important in the Senator's home state, and protecting home state jobs is important. But hampering our ability to negotiate our trade agreements in this time of economic distress isn't the way to do it. The Senator's hold is particularly ironic and unproductive, since trade officials like these nominees are the ones charged with negotiating resolutions to trade issues like the one that appears to motivate the Senator from Kentucky. Ambassador Kirk recently commented that the absence of these officials is having a significant impact, and indicated that the situation is causing some countries to question our commitment to serious trade talks. "We would be greatly advantaged, not only just from the manpower and intellectual strength these two individuals bring, but I think it would help us regain some of our credibility," is what Ambassador Kirk said.

And let's be clear - the Senator from Kentucky has said he doesn't have any objection to these nominees. He's only blocking the nominations as leverage against the President and Ambassador Kirk. That is pure obstructionism.

It's these kinds of political power plays -- one Senator actually had seventy nominees on hold -- that lead to such cynicism in the country about our ability to work together to get things done. When one Senator blocks basic governmental action - action that all agree is of national importance -- for purely parochial and political reasons, the public rightly wonders what is going on.

If the Senator from Kentucky disagrees with the Canadian Legislature, fine, he should voice that disagreement publicly and try to persuade the President of the merits of his point of view. He is welcome to do that. Instead, he has chosen to add to the obstructionist tactics that are poisoning this chamber and preventing the government of the United State from doing its business. That may serve the immediate political goals of his party, but it is wrong, Madame President, for our country and it is wrong for all Americans who depend on an effective United States government.

Madame President I urge the Senator from Kentucky to release his holds and I yield the floor.