Honorable Jim McCrery
United States Representative, Louisiana, Republican
Representative McCrery, of the Fourth District of Louisiana, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1988. He is the ranking Republican member of the Ways and Means Committee. The following is from the April 10, 2008, House floor debate on H.R. 5724, the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. I strongly oppose this extraordinary,unprecedented, and, I believe, dangerous change to the House Rules. Congressfirst gave trade promotion authority to the President in 1974, in order toallow him to engage directly with our competitors around the world to level theplaying field, eliminate barriers to American…