Cord Byrd: “I stood in this place last Friday to warn Congress that we must not allow the administration to arrogate to itself the…”

“I stood in this place last Friday to warn Congress that we must not allow the administration to arrogate to itself the full authority to determine the trade policy of the United States, that we must not be asleep at the wheel as the one-sided trade jalopy goes rumbling down the fast track--the fast track. There we go again. For what this Congress calls fast track, the administration uses the euphemistic term ``trade promotion authority.'' Trade promotion authority--it certainly has an innocent enough sound. It is a sound that is rather sweet to the ears--trade promotion authority. But lift up the cover of this euphemistic term, lift the cover, just peep a little under it, and you will find the real villain: fast track, fast-track authority. So last Friday I stood in my place here and said to Congress that we must not allow the administration to arrogate to itself the authority to determine the trade policy of the United States, that we must not be asleep at the wheel ``as the one-sided trade jalopy'' goes rumbling down the fast track.”