Political Quotes

“free trade is very important to our country and to our future economic prosperity. Anyone who does not believe that is in denial, in my opinion. We live in a global economy and we need to lead on the issue of free trade. We must not make excuses and cower away from the opportunity in front of us. The trade promotion authority legislation we are considering is a critical tool for the advancement of our economic interest throughout the world. This legislation is also proof that Congress and the administration can work together to increase economic opportunity for Americans across all 50 States. Chairman Hatch and Ranking Member Wyden have worked for months to get us to this point. I commend them for this effort and I look forward to working with them to finish this process. We know that 80 percent of the purchasing power in the world is located outside the United States, along with 95 percent of the world's consumers. As the middle class expands in regions such as Asia, we have to make sure our businesses and workers have the ability to take advantage of the opportunity that growth presents. Some estimates predict the middle class in Asia is going to swell from half a billion people to over 3 billion people in just the next 15 years. Are we going to sit on the sidelines while other countries gain preferential access to those consumers?…”