Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 30, 1994 TAG: 9411300076
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
President Clinton hailed it as a ``historic vote for American workers, farmers and families.''
The House voted 288-146 for the rewrite of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, sending the measure to the Senate, where supporters still were searching for the votes needed for passage.
The four hours of debate were brought to a close by House Speaker Thomas Foley, who in his final speech in the chamber where he had served for 30 years urged his colleagues to pass the measure.
``It is impossible to imagine a single act of this Congress that can do more to contribute to our economic growth,'' he said.
Foley was one of 85 House members who either were defeated or chose not to seek re-election who participated in the first lame-duck session of Congress in 12 years.
The GATT accord would cut tariffs by 38 percent worldwide, expand the rules of world trade to new areas such as agriculture and services and create a new, more powerful World Trade Organization to settle disputes.
The Clinton administration estimated that the reduced tariffs equate to a $744 billion global tax cut over a decade. For Americans, it would represent a $36 billion cut in border taxes on imported goods and services over 10 years.
Foley and other supporters argued that a defeat of the trade agreement would be disastrous for America's standing in the world. Opponents, however, pleaded with equal fervor that the 124-nation GATT accord was too complex to be settled ``on the 11th hour'' by many lawmakers who had been voted out of office.
The 142-vote margin of passage was a victory for President Clinton, who had spent much of the day on the telephone talking to undecided lawmakers.
Clinton said the House vote ``demonstrates to the American people that Democrats and Republicans can work together in the national interest.''
The bipartisan vote included 167 Democrats and 121 Republicans in favor of the accord and 89 Democrats, 56 Republicans and one independent opposed.
Among Virginia members, Reps. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, and Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, voted for the agreement, while Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, opposed it.
The administration had been hoping for a large margin of victory in the House to provide momentum for the Senate, where the measure faces stiffer opposition.
``The eyes of the world are now on the United States Senate,'' Clinton said. ``I can call on the Senate to pass GATT with the same strong, bipartisan support as it received in the House of Representatives.''
In the Senate, supporters will need 60 votes Thursday on a key procedural motion.
An Associated Press head count found 47 senators either supporting the agreement or leaning toward approval. Another 21 were opposed or leaning toward voting no, and 32 were still undeclared.
Supporters said the trade agreement would mean lower prices for U.S. consumers on everything from computer chips to potato chips, and would aid American companies and farmers by lowering the trade barriers they face overseas.
However, opponents charged that lowering U.S. barriers would mean America's factories would face even more competition from low-wage foreign workers.
by CNB