The John Birch Society Email Alert Network - September 11, 2000
Oppose Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China!
Proposals to amend H.R. 4444, the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, in the Senate give us an unexpected opportunity to stop this dangerous bill. At least four Senators (Fred Thompson, R-TN; Robert Torricelli, D-NJ; Jesse Helms, R-NC; and Paul Wellstone, D-MN) have proposed amendments to the permanent trade status bill. The inclusion of two liberal Democrats among these indicates that there is bipartisan dissatisfaction with the present bill and much potential support for amending it. Urge your Senator to support one or more of these amendments. (An amended bill would have to be sent back to the House and this might be a sufficient delay for the bill to die if it is not voted on before the targeted adjournment date for this session of Congress on October 6th.)
Immediate Action Requested:
Contact your Senators and urge them to support any parliamentary procedures (such as amendments, or even a filibuster) that will delay further action on H.R. 4444 until this session of Congress ends. (A good strategy would be to mention the Thompson and Helms proposals to a Republican Senator and the Torricelli and Wellstone proposals to Democrat Senators. If you have a conservative Senator, urge a filibuster.) Also, ask your friends, neighbors, and associates to do the same.
Summary:
The stated title of this bill is "to authorize extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People's Republic of China, and to establish a framework for relations between the United States and the people's Republic of China." The U.S.-China World Trade Organization understanding requires that China be granted permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status before it can be admitted as a member of the WTO. Currently, China enjoys Normal Trade Relations (NTR) only so long as the president annually waives sanctions required under the 1974 Jackson-Vanik law. NTR, formerly called the Most Favored Nation status, allows a nation to qualify for subsidy programs under the Export-Import Bank and related U.S. government programs. China currently has $5.9 billion in outstanding loan subsidies and loan guarantees and is the Export-Import Bank's largest customer.
Status:
H.R. 4444 passed the House on May 24th by a vote of 237-197.
The Senate voted 92-5 on September 7th to proceed with action on this bill.
On September 8th, the Senate resumed consideration of H.R. 4444, the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, for debate only.
Resources:
For more information on trade with China go to: http://www.thenewamerican.com/focus/trade/
For Congressional contact information go to: http://www.jbs.org/congress/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe/unsubscribe from this email network go to: http://www.jbs.org/contact/emailfrm.htm
The John Birch Society http://www.jbs.org
www.ccops.org
------------------
"those who sacrifice
liberty for security deserve neither"
Oppose Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China!
Proposals to amend H.R. 4444, the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, in the Senate give us an unexpected opportunity to stop this dangerous bill. At least four Senators (Fred Thompson, R-TN; Robert Torricelli, D-NJ; Jesse Helms, R-NC; and Paul Wellstone, D-MN) have proposed amendments to the permanent trade status bill. The inclusion of two liberal Democrats among these indicates that there is bipartisan dissatisfaction with the present bill and much potential support for amending it. Urge your Senator to support one or more of these amendments. (An amended bill would have to be sent back to the House and this might be a sufficient delay for the bill to die if it is not voted on before the targeted adjournment date for this session of Congress on October 6th.)
Immediate Action Requested:
Contact your Senators and urge them to support any parliamentary procedures (such as amendments, or even a filibuster) that will delay further action on H.R. 4444 until this session of Congress ends. (A good strategy would be to mention the Thompson and Helms proposals to a Republican Senator and the Torricelli and Wellstone proposals to Democrat Senators. If you have a conservative Senator, urge a filibuster.) Also, ask your friends, neighbors, and associates to do the same.
Summary:
The stated title of this bill is "to authorize extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People's Republic of China, and to establish a framework for relations between the United States and the people's Republic of China." The U.S.-China World Trade Organization understanding requires that China be granted permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status before it can be admitted as a member of the WTO. Currently, China enjoys Normal Trade Relations (NTR) only so long as the president annually waives sanctions required under the 1974 Jackson-Vanik law. NTR, formerly called the Most Favored Nation status, allows a nation to qualify for subsidy programs under the Export-Import Bank and related U.S. government programs. China currently has $5.9 billion in outstanding loan subsidies and loan guarantees and is the Export-Import Bank's largest customer.
Status:
H.R. 4444 passed the House on May 24th by a vote of 237-197.
The Senate voted 92-5 on September 7th to proceed with action on this bill.
On September 8th, the Senate resumed consideration of H.R. 4444, the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, for debate only.
Resources:
For more information on trade with China go to: http://www.thenewamerican.com/focus/trade/
For Congressional contact information go to: http://www.jbs.org/congress/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe/unsubscribe from this email network go to: http://www.jbs.org/contact/emailfrm.htm
The John Birch Society http://www.jbs.org
www.ccops.org
------------------
"those who sacrifice
liberty for security deserve neither"