2000 March 28 National Journal Group Stephen Norton
Matsui, Citing Lost Votes, Says PNTR Vote Must Come By May

WASHINGTON -- Mar-28 -- (CongressDaily) Rep. Robert Matsui, D-Calif., who is helping to lead efforts to rally Democratic support for permanent normal trade relations for China, warned Monday that a vote must come by May or the increasingly uphill battle could be lost for the year. Referring to the reluctance to schedule a vote in the House so far, Matsui said: "I am astonished by this. Every day that goes by we lose one or two votes." Matsui said organized labor activists who oppose PNTR are succeeding in winning over wavering members. "On our side, we are going to have a very difficult time unless there is an early vote--some time in May," he said.

Some Republican leaders have said they have up to 180 pro-PNTR votes in the GOP Conference and have pledged to schedule a vote as soon as President Clinton can come up with 80-100 Democrats. Speaking before a forum sponsored by the Committee to Support U.S. Trade, Matsui estimated that there would be 70-80 Democrats who will vote for PNTR. "We won't be able to reach 100 unless there is a huge sea change," predicted Matsui."But we should get 70, maybe 80 or even more if things break our way."

One anti-PNTR activist said Monday that he counts up to 207 votes against PNTR at this point--even after liberally counting some wavering members in the "yes" camp. He charged that pro-PNTR leaders in the business community are losing the debate on the merits and have to retreat to politics, giving anti-PNTR forces an advantage.

Matsui said China would enter the World Trade Organization this year with or without PNTR, creating an inevitability that the United States will eventually approve PNTR.

"Maybe not this year, then in 2001, if not in 2001, the next year--but in the next 36 months," Matsui said, adding, "I cannot understand why any one would not have figured this out."
At the same time, Matsui reiterated that some sort of parallel legislation that would enhance monitoring of China's conduct in a number of other areas is "worthy of review"--as long as that legislation keeps intact the bilateral WTO accession deal worked out last fall and abides by WTO guidelines.

Senate Finance ranking member Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., confidently predicted that PNTR "will pass the Senate." He said the Finance Committee could report out a bill within the next two to four weeks, but that it will have to be held at the desk pending House action, because it is a revenue bill.

Recalling a conversation from a few months ago with a business leader, he said: "I told him that when I was a freshman at the City College of New York, I was told corporations run America. Well, dammit, do it!"

Both Moynihan and Matsui lamented the decline of consensus and bipartisanship on trade matters in recent years. Matsui, in particular noted that only 34 of 102 Democrats who voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993 remain in Congress, and that only 84 of 132 Republicans who backed it remain.

He said it requires a significant education effort made even harder by the fact that members are in Washington only three days a week in most cases this year.