Jesse Ulrich of West Bend and Amanda Dight of Osage joined Grassley to hear the President speak in the Executive Office Building next to the West Wing. Ulrich and Dight serve as President and Vice President, respectively, of Iowa's state chapter of Future Farmers of America. Grassley praised Bush for talking with young leaders in agriculture about trade policy and why it matters to Iowa's economic future.
"Our efforts today to open new markets for American exports will have a profound effect on the opportunities available to these young people tomorrow," Grassley said. "If Congress retreats into isolationism and tries to wall Americans off from the international community, the U.S. economy will suffer. We'll deprive the next generation of farmers and workers the opportunity to compete in a vibrant and interconnected world economy."
On Capitol Hill, Grassley is a leading voice for free and fair trade. He said that action on legislation to give trade promotion authority to the President is the next big legislative challenge. He is working to build bipartisan support in the Senate for legislation that would empower the President to open new markets and break down trade barriers for U.S. commodities, value-added agricultural products, manufactured goods and various services.
Before this morning's FFA event, Grassley met in the Oval Office with Bush and Sen. Max Baucus of Montana to discuss trade promotion authority. Baucus is the chairman and Grassley is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for trade legislation.
"When it comes to profitability in agriculture, there's nothing more important than trade. We produce an abundant supply of the highest quality food in the world," Grassley said. "These FFA students deserve a future in farming where they can use the strong work ethic, spirit of entrepreneurship and self-reliance they are learning through their leadership activities today."
In Iowa, exports provide more than 86,000 jobs. Iowans export a wide range of products to 154 countries, and the state ranks second in the nation for agricultural exports. One-third of an Iowa farmer's income comes from export sales.
Trade promotion authority is a power that Congress first gave the President in 1974, to enable the President to negotiate trade agreements with other heads of state. The authority retains Congress' right to accept or reject trade agreements, but it doesn't allow individual members of Congress to make changes to the agreement proposed by the President.
Grassley said trade promotion authority is necessary because it gives the President credibility at the negotiating table.
"Without it, 535 members of Congress could change the details of proposed trade agreements. That makes it virtually impossible to hammer out a final agreement that's acceptable to all sides. If our trading partners don't have confidence in the President's ability to conclude trade deals, then his ability to gain market access concessions that benefit the United States is undercut," Grassley said.
Trade promotion authority for the President ? previously known as fast-track authority ? expired in 1994.