Chuck Grassley: “with today's vote on cloture on the trade bill, we move one step closer to reestablishing the United States global…”

“with today's vote on cloture on the trade bill, we move one step closer to reestablishing the United States global leadership and credibility in trade. We move one step closer to being better able to advance this country's economic interests in this hemisphere. And we will be one step closer to bringing greater economic prosperity to every American family. That is because with today's vote, the President will be one step closer to getting one of the most important tools he needs to strengthen the American economy, and to create new American jobs. American leadership in trade has floundered for the last several years. We have seen over 130 preferential trade agreements signed by our trading partners in the last few years, none of which included the United States. This proliferation of preferential trade agreements among other nations--including major U.S. trading partners such as Canada and Mexico--is harmful to U.S. trade interests. These agreements provide their members with preferential access to one another's markets--while disadvantaging American agricultural products, manufactured goods, and many services. Some American companies overcome these barriers by producing overseas. Many small- and medium-sized companies can't do this however, and because they are less competitive, they lose opportunity after opportunity to their foreign counterparts. This loss of competitive ability by our export-dependent firms, as well as our farmers, means fewer jobs.”