Senate Vote on Russia PNTR Pushed to Dec. 6

The Senate leadership pushed to Dec. 6 consideration of legislation (HR-6156) that would give Russia and Moldova Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. The Senate has reached an agreement to consider the Russia-Moldova PNTR bill with no amendments, according to Senate Democrats. The House recently approved the bill, which would repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which limits U.S. trade with communist countries.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) pushed hard for Senate approval in remarks about the bill. "We will give up nothing when we pass PNTR legislation now," he said. "We change no U.S. tariffs and no U.S. trade laws. This is a one-sided deal in favor of American exporters. In my home state of Montana, one in five jobs is tied to agriculture, and ranching is a major driver of our agriculture economy. When Montana ranchers can sell more beef in Russia, they can support more workers in Montana. It’s that simple, and it’s a similar story in states all across our country." Baucus' press release is (here).

(See ITT's Online Archives 12111619 for summary of the House vote on Russia PNTR.)