Barbara Boxer: “there is free trade, no trade, and fair trade. I am for fair trade. And I am also for respecting the role of Congress in…”

“there is free trade, no trade, and fair trade. I am for fair trade. And I am also for respecting the role of Congress in designing public policy. The Trade Promotion Authority package we are voting on today will not result in fair trade and it cedes too much power to the President. I do not believe in giving a President carte blanche to write trade legislation. I do not want to grant him the right to negotiate away protection for American workers and the environment. Imagine if the President could have proposed a corporate accountability bill and the Congress would have had only an up or down vote. Would we have passed legislation as strong as the legislation the President signed? We are about to debate pension reform legislation. Should we ask the President to make a proposal and then vote up or down on that proposal? Clearly not. It is our responsibility to work with the Executive branch of government to design policies that respect our constituents. The Trade Promotion Authority legislation fails American workers and fails to address the need for smart environmental protections. In short, TPA could result in trade agreements that are free from environmental and are in no way fair. And it would preclude us from amending future trade agreements to make them fair.”