On the recordJune 24, 2015
as we are moving toward concluding debate on trade promotion authority, I rise to speak about what the Trans- Pacific Partnership will mean for our Nation's global standing. As we have heard throughout this debate, the potential economic benefits from TPP for our Nation are simply enormous. According to the Congressional Research Service, total trade in goods between TPP member countries reached $1.6 trillion in 2014; that is, the nations represented in TPP, $1.6 trillion in trade between those countries, representing nearly 40 percent of all global trade. In my own State of Colorado, trade with countries involved in TPP currently supports over 265,000 jobs. The nations represented by the TPP agreement--the negotiations that are taking place right now-- 265,000 jobs in Colorado result from those nations. But we know the TPP is more than just an economic agreement. It is a critical test of U.S. strategic leadership in the Asia-Pacific region, a region that will be integral to our economic and national security for generations to come. As stated in the 2015 National Security Strategy: Sustaining our leadership depends on shaping an emerging global economic order that continues to reflect our interests and our values. Despite its success, our rules-based system is now competing against alternative, less-open models. . . .…
