The White House NAFTA NOTES Thursday, October 21, 1993 _________________________________________________________________ Senator Simon Says NAFTA Will Strengthen U.S. Economy * Echoing President Clinton's argument at NAFTA at Jobs and Products Day that no country can create jobs without expanding trade, Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) endorsed NAFTA saying "I have come to believe that NAFTA will strengthen the nation's economy." Simon noted his vote against fast-track two years ago, but said he decided upon further reflection to endorse NAFTA. Asserting that the facts supporting NAFTA were stronger than the politics of NAFTA, Simon stated that "those of us in the Senate who believe NAFTA will be good for the United States need to provide leadership so that our colleagues in the House who are wavering know that they are not alone. Political prudence for Senators requires silence. Political leadership requires a stand." * Simon said that in the short-term NAFTA "will create jobs in the United States and raise the standard of living of most people in both nations slightly." He disagreed with claims that NAFTA would cause U.S. plants to move. "The myth that NAFTA will result in a huge transfer of plants to Mexico is exactly that: a myth," Simon asserted. "There are economic advantages for that transfer now that will not be there after NAFTA is approved." Simon concluded that the "world's economy is moving on. We can hunker down and let it pass over us as we see our standard of living decline, or we can welcome the challenge of tomorrow and the opportunity to work with other nations as we rebuild our own. NAFTA offers us an opportunity to follow the wiser course." * After his speech at NAFTA Jobs and Products Day, President Clinton praised Simon's stand, telling Illinois reporters "everybody knows that nobody pulls Paul Simon's chain -- he didn't do this for me or anybody else, he did it because he sat down and thought about it and decided it was the right thing to do. I think that everybody in America who knows Paul Simon thinks that he would only do this if he thought it was the right thing to do and in the interests of the people of Illinois." Rep. Edwards Endorses; Sees Tide Turning in Favor of NAFTA * Speaking to reporters after meeting with the President on Tuesday, Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) endorsed NAFTA, saying that the debate was "a case of the politics of facts versus the politics of fear." Edwards noted that a recent study by the University of Texas found that Texas would gain six jobs for every job lost under NAFTA. "That's good news for Texans," Edwards said. "The fear that millions of American workers would be hurt by NAFTA," Edwards stated, "has been pushed by politicians more interested in their own future elections than in the future of our country." * "There is still a tough battle ahead in Congress," Edwards concluded, "but I believe the tide is turning in favor of NAFTA." # # #