Letter from U.S. Senators to President Bush: You Have No Authority to Make a Doha Round Deal
By Sens. Russell Feingold and Robert Byrd
Dear President Bush,
The United States is participating in a Ministerial meeting of the World Trade organization (WTO) this week in Geneva, Switzerland.
We understand that the purpose of this summit is to finalize an agreement on certain outstanding issues related to the WTO Doha Round. The announcement of this WTO Ministerial was surprising to us. Typically high-level negotiations only occur when all parties have authority to make a deal. Yet, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority “to regulate commerce with foreign Nations” and to “lay and collect Taxes [and]Duties.”