Chuck Grassley: “I believe strongly this legislation, more than any other, will promote America's constructive leadership of the…”

“I believe strongly this legislation, more than any other, will promote America's constructive leadership of the international trading system. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for the trade promotion authority component of the majority leader's legislation is tempered by the dismay that I have about how this process has been carried on. Even though I believe strongly trade promotion authority is badly needed, and surely it ought to be passed by the Congress and signed into law, I regret we are being forced by the Democrat leadership's unnecessary counterproductive, sort of take it or leave it approach--it is kind of a partisan attitude in the taking up of trade promotion authority and doing it in this fashion. When we passed trade promotion authority from the committee 4 months ago, the vote was 18 to 3. We did it in an open, cooperative, bipartisan spirit. I was greatly heartened by the bill itself and by the process in which we achieved a result that was good for America. But this bill before us, the one laid down by the Senate majority leader, is a much different story.”