12 



The Chairman. Senator Pryor is trying to set an example be- 

 cause he knows he is next in line to take my seat here. [Laughter.] 



He doesn't want to have to put up with long opening statements 

 if he comes in. 



Senator Pryor. I want you to know, I prayed for your reelection 

 last fall. [Laughter.] 



The Chairman. More than some in Vermont did. 



Senator Cochran. 



STATEMENT OF HON. THAD COCHRAN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM 



MISSISSIPPI 



Senator Cochran. Mr. Chairman, I am going to put my state- 

 ment in the record, too. I join you in welcoming Secretary Espy, 

 Ambassador Kantor, and the other witnesses who will testify at 

 this hearing on NAFTA. I am convinced that it is going to create 

 more jobs in the United States and it is going to break down trade 

 barriers and improve living conditions in Mexico, Canada, and the 

 United States. And I look forward to hearing the details and some 

 of the facts that will help convince me that I am right. 



The Chairman. Thank you. 



Senator Daschle. 



STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS A. DASCHLE, A U.S. SENATOR 



FROM SOUTH DAKOTA 



Senator Daschle. Mr. Chairman, I too would like to welcome our 

 guests, and I will be very brief. 



I think it is clear from the opening remarks that our differences 

 are not political or philosophical. You have got conservatives and 

 liberals, you have got Democrats and Republicans, on both sides of 

 this issue. 



I do think, however, that there are winners and losers under the 

 current situation, and that is my concern as well. Senator Conrad 

 said it very well: Fix it or forget it. And I think for those in the 

 northern-tier States, we have got to find a way to fix it. Northern- 

 tier States, especially with wheat and in some cases with sugar 

 and other grains, are very concerned about the implications of this 

 agreement as it now stands. And I have three concerns: 



The first is that the concerns expressed this afternoon will not 

 be fully considered and weighed and carefully addressed in ways 

 that we can either do unilaterally or at least with Mexico in the 

 coming weeks and months, that they will be buried with the con- 

 cerns expressed already on many other issues relating to the agree- 

 ment. 



Secondly, that the exaggerated claims on both sides will so obfus- 

 cate the debate that we really aren't going to clearly understand 

 the implications. I worry about that with each one of these hear- 

 ings and with all of the rhetoric I hear on the floor. They cannot 

 be believed, and we have got to be very careful about what it is we 

 say about the effect of this agreement. 



Then, finally, I think we have to look at NAFTA as to how it fits 

 in with our longer term strategy in agricultural policy. In particu- 

 lar, as chairman of the Inspection Subcommittee with Senator 

 Craig, I am very concerned about the inspection implications that 

 we have got to address here. We had to deal with that in the Cana- 



