On the recordJune 12, 2015
This is a time when everybody in this body needs to step back and really realize what we are here to do today. This is an historic moment. We will either move forward with our allies, with our partners--with our trading partners--or we will move back. TPA is just one step. It is a step that we must have in order to pass additional trade agreements that we have been doing throughout our history. If you look at where we are today, this is about trade promotion authority. People will have plenty of time to look at whatever trade agreements come down the pipeline over the next 5 years. That is what this debate is about. Why do we need trade agreements? We need to reduce tariffs on products that are made in the United States so that we have a better opportunity to export them overseas. Mr. Speaker, this agreement has geopolitical concerns also. If we look down the road at the first trade agreement that is supposed to come up, it is supposed to be the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Today, if you look at what our partners and allies in Asia are dealing with, it is a behemoth in China, and China doesn't want to play by the rules. They have consistently avoided playing by the rules, which is putting our allies and our trading partners at risk, which is why we need to come together and pass an agreement. If you pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and the EU agreement, you have two-thirds of the world's economy under one set of rules.…
