Political Quotes

“Today, we have a very important decision to make in this Congress. I join with the Speaker in acknowledging the hard work that so many have put in on this important subject. I want to thank the President of the United States and his administration for being available with their Cabinet officers and the rest to explain to us how they see what is in the TPA--let me call it ``fast track'' so we separate this out--and what the prospects are now for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I want to thank our friends in labor, environmental groups, and faith-based groups who have expressed their opposition to so much of what has been presented, all of which will be constructive as we try to move forward with a better trade promotion act--fast track. Not so fast fast track. We all understand that we live in a global economy. Some of us, as I do, represent cities that are built on trade, the city of San Francisco, and I grew up in a city where the famous clipper ships brought product to and from our shores in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a great and exciting prospect to expand markets for our products and having U.S. global leadership. I was hopeful from the start of all of this discussion that we could find a path to ``yes'' for the fast-track legislation that was being put forth. There were some bumps in the road along the way and some potholes along the way--unfortunately, I think, sinkholes as well--but that doesn't mean that that road cannot be repaired.…”