SENATE—Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
13708 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE June 22, 1999 SENATE—Tuesday, June 22, 1999 The Senate met at 9:30 a.m. and was late yesterday afternoon, but because ORDER OF PROCEDURE called to order by the President pro of the absence of some Senators who Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I ask tempore [Mr. THURMOND]. needed to be consulted, we were not unanimous consent that I be able to able to lock in the procedure and the address the Senate as if in morning PRAYER time for completing that action. I hope business for up to 15 minutes. The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John we can complete it this morning and The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Ogilvie, offered the following prayer: have a vote or votes on or in relation objection, it is so ordered. The hour is coming, and now is, when to the State Department authorization Mr. MACK. I thank the Chair. true worshipers will worship the Father in bill after the party caucuses at 2:15. f spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking When we go back to the agriculture ap- such to worship Him.—John 4:23. propriations bill, we would expect a STEEL QUOTA Gracious Lord of our lives, we re- number of votes this afternoon. Mr. MACK. Mr. President, pro- spond to this invitation to worship Unfortunately, the Democratic lead- ponents of the quota legislation to be You. In the quiet of this moment, we ership has chosen to confuse the issue considered later today have spoken worship You in the splendor of Your and delay action on the agriculture ap- with vigor and passion regarding the majesty. You are infinite, eternal, and propriations bill by offering the Pa- ‘‘injury’’ that was suffered by domestic unchangeable; in Your being, You are tients’ Bill of Rights to this very im- steel companies and the threat imports wisdom, holiness, goodness, and truth. portant bill. We could work out an pose to the workers at those compa- We worship You in response to Your agreement otherwise, if they would be nies. grace: Your unqualified love for each of reasonable as to how we might consider However, I am compelled to rise us. Thank You for Your faithfulness. that issue. But for now it is pending to today to respond to many of the asser- You never give up on us. Even though the agriculture appropriations bill, and tions raised regarding the steel indus- we falter and fail, You neither leave I would expect there would be a couple try specifically, and more generally I nor forsake us. Your providential care of votes on or in relation to that issue think it is important to speak to sev- for our Nation has been consistent all also. eral other factors related to the bill. through our history. As a people we re- f First, there are economic benefits all turn to You. Americans enjoy as a result of lowering Now Lord, how shall we worship You MEASURE PLACED ON trade barriers; second, the harmful in the midst of the work of this day? CALENDAR—S. 1256 message a quota bill would send to our We want to live magnificently by mag- Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I under- trading partners; and, third, the inap- nifying You in the mundane as well as stand there is a bill at the desk due for propriateness of Congress singling out the momentous. We want our work its second reading. a specific industry for special treat- itself to be our response of worship. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The ment. Our desire is to glorify You in all we clerk will read the bill by title. The first point I would like to make think, decide, and do. Everything with- The legislative assistant read as fol- is that the import surge is over. Ac- in us stands on tiptoe to worship You, lows: cording to the Department of Com- for You are our God in whom we place A bill (S. 1256) entitled the ‘‘Patients’ Bill merce, imports have returned to their our trust. Amen. of Rights.’’ traditional levels. In fact, overall steel imports in the first 4 months of 1999 f Mr. LOTT. I object to further pro- ceedings on this bill at this time. were below the ‘‘pre-import’’ surge RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY level. Moreover, even with the import LEADER The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The bill goes to the calendar. surge of 1998, U.S. steel producers re- The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Mr. President. ported profits of over $1 billion. Furthermore, in reviewing data pro- able majority leader, Senator LOTT of I yield the floor. Mississippi, is recognized. vided by the Steel Manufacturers Asso- Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Mr. President. f ciation, I was surprised to find that f FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZA- U.S. steel production has increased over the last 10 years. The 1998 steel SCHEDULE TION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2000 AND 2001 output of 107.6 million tons was 10 per- Mr. LOTT. Today the Senate will re- cent greater than 1990 and the highest sume consideration of the State De- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. for any year since 1981. partment authorization bill under a VOINOVICH). Under the previous order, Additionally, I was interested to dis- previous order. A cloture vote on the the Senate will now resume consider- cover that since 1987, imports as a per- motion to proceed to H.R. 975, the steel ation of S. 886, which the clerk will re- centage of domestic consumption have import limitation bill, will take place port. remained constant at around 20 per- at 12:15, with 40 minutes of debate on The legislative clerk read as follows: cent. Again, according to this data, no the motion prior to the vote. A bill (S. 886) to authorize appropriations ground has been lost despite protesta- Following that vote, the Senate will for the Department of State for fiscal years tions to the contrary. stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. so the 2000 and 2001; to provide for enhanced secu- Some have argued that the financial rity at United States diplomatic facilities; weekly party caucuses can meet. It is to provide for certain arms control, non- ill health of several specific companies our intention to complete action on proliferation, and other national security such as Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the State Department reauthorization measures; to provide for reform of the United Weirton Steel Corporation, Laclede bill during today’s session of the Sen- Nations; and for other purposes. Steel Company, Acme Metals Incor- ate and to resume consideration of the Pending: porated, and Geneva Steel Company agriculture appropriations bill. Feingold amendment No. 692, to limit the are the direct result of last year’s im- I thought we had reached an agree- percentage of noncompetitively awarded port surge. However, the fact is that ment as to exactly how to complete the grants made to the core grantees of the Na- many of the integrated steel mills have State Department authorization bill tional Endowment for Democracy. a history of declining financial health ● This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. VerDate jul 14 2003 14:17 Oct 04, 2004 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR99\S22JN9.000 S22JN9 June 22, 1999 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE 13709 evident well in advance of the Asian unemployment rate the lowest among This bill imposes a tax on steel-users crisis and the 1998 import surge. This is the G–7 nations. in order to subsidize steel-producers. A reflected in their stock performance Trade makes it possible for us to substantial share of the U.S. steel in- which, without exception, shows a pro- focus on the production of the things dustry refines raw steel into finished nounced decline in the value of the we do best, and thereby produce a larg- and specialty goods. The U.S. steel in- stock over the last 5 years. Again, it er output and enjoy a higher standard dustry is therefore a major purchaser has nothing to do with the surge in im- of living. For goods and services that of imported steel. Higher steel prices ports. we produce cheaply, we can expand our which will surely accompany import Noting the declining employment fig- output and sell abroad at attractive quotas will increase the cost of refined ures in the steel industry, proponents prices. And for things we do poorly, we steel and make these products less of the quota bill suggest that the can acquire them more economically competitive than would otherwise be United States is losing market share, from foreign producers. Thus, trade the case. but the fact is imports have not led to promotes prosperity. Moreover, this bill would treat the a decrease in market share. U.S. steel We have fought for open markets steel industry different than other in- production in traditional integrated both through GATT and now the WTO. dustries. Steel is not the only industry mills has remained fairly flat. Import And we have been engaged in this fight, that has been adversely affected by competition has merely forced U.S. this battle for almost 50 years. For currency devaluations and weak de- steel to become more efficient. The some time, we have told the world that mand due to the Asian crisis and reces- growth in domestic production that economic freedom and a market econ- sion in several parts of the world. The has allowed U.S. steel to retain its do- omy are key ingredients of prosperity.