mr. speaker , today the house will undoubtedly vote down this resolution and signal strong support for remaining in the world trade organization .  this is the right decision to make .  it is the right decision to make because the wto , and its predecessor , the gatt , have served as a catalyst to reduce both tariff and non-tariff barriers for u.s. exports .  since the formation of the gatt , average tariffs in industrialized countries have gone down from 40 to less than 4 percent ; since the creation of the wto in 1994 , u.s. exports have increased by $ 300 billion .  of course , the wto has also served as a useful forum to breakdown barriers to u.s. agricultural exports where bilateral negotiations could not .  while i will vote against this resolution today , it is not without any reservation .  mr. speaker , i believe the resolution on the floor today provides the ideal time to pause and reflect on the shortcomings of the current wto system and on ways both the congress and the administration can make changes to the wto structure so that it works better and rebuilds confidence in the system among our constituencies .  i find the lack of any serious effort to reform the current wto culture and structure to fix the flaws with the unsatisfactory .  there are a host of problems with the wto , and the number of problems is only growing .  the wto completely lacks any degree of transparency ; hearings are closed to the public and public transcripts are not released .  where , in a very limited manner , wto rules permit limited transparency by allowing the assistance and resources of private parties who are supportive of the u.s. government position , the administration has chosen not to utilize this allowance .  transparency is not the only problem contributing to the wto 's failure to move rules-based trade forward globally , but it is the central factor allowing the wto and its bureaucrats to escape the scrutiny which would quickly eradicate other abuses in geneva .  through the lack of transparency , the wto dispute settlement and appellate bodies are emboldened to disregard the proper standard of review in disputes involving trade laws , for example .  in this way , past wto panels have issued rogue decisions against the u.s. with no basis or standing in the context of previously negotiated agreements .  this rampant judicial activism is rapidly undermining the support for the wto .  as the wto is particularly prone to yankee-bashing , support for the current , broken system is perhaps fading fastest here at home .  a slew of activist decisions against the u.s. , attacking our trade remedy laws and another decision amounting to micromanagement of u.s. tax policy have come at a steady pace .  these decisions have been particularly frustrating to many members of congress because of limited opportunity for oversight by congress of the wto or its decisions which affect our domestic laws and domestic employers .  i , along with several of my ways and means colleagues , last congress introduced the trade law reform act .  this legislation included a provision to establish a wto dispute settlement review commission .  this commission , composed of retired federal judges , would report to congress after reviewing wto decisions adverse to the u.s. in order to determine whether the relevant decision makers failed to follow the applicable standard of review or otherwise abused their mandate .  today , we have spent two hours debating whether congress should withdraw from the wto .  yet , absent a new entity to administer and advance rules-based trade , there is no question that we must remain committed to , and engaged in , the wto .  i would submit that instead of debating whether to withdraw from the wto , congress should have an active debate on ways we can make the current system work properly , as it was designed to do , and ways to make it better .  the u.s. must move swiftly to put an end to judicial activism in the wto and reorganize the structure and culture of both the appellate body and the dispute settlement body .  additionally , the ustr should deputize private parties with a direct and substantial interest in a case to appear and participate in wto proceedings and devote greater resources to litigation in wto disputes .  mr. speaker , congress must also establish new mechanisms to increase oversight of the wto .  