Political Quotes

“I yield myself 2 minutes. We have three FTAs before us. Each one of those should be taken on their own. And let me express my strong views about the Colombia FTA based on my three trips there. Trade is about more than tariffs or the flow of goods. As important as they are, it's about people. And where workers have no rights, increased trade with another country can work against us and can work against the other country. Colombia, in that regard, has presented a special case. A violation of basic rights has gone on for decades, and not only those violations of laws but violation of persons, violence, and death. The Santos administration came to power and said it wanted to do it differently. Our two governments sat down and worked on an agreement on worker rights. It was a step forward, but there is a serious set of problems. First of all, the implementation of that in important instances has been spotty, especially as to the vehement misuse of cooperatives in Colombia and so-called collective PACs. And, secondly, there was an absolute resistance, refusal on the part of the Republican majority to have any reference in the action plan to the implementation bill. That is a serious, serious flaw. For that reason, I am very much opposed to this agreement. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further consideration of H.R. 3078 is postponed. ____________________”