Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I would reiterate this point, that this Congress and a lot of the American people lack confidence in the negotiations of our President. A lot of this angst has flowed forth from the Iranian negotiations and their march towards a nuclear capability that has undermined his credibility and made it significantly more difficult for a Congress that is in favor of trade, especially on my side of the aisle. I am a natural-born free trader. I have always believed that I can compete with anybody in the world, and I think America and American companies can compete with anyone in the world. I think that we need to have a level playing field. What is happening is that lack of confidence in the President's negotiations and the willingness to, I believe, give away some of the positions that would better enhance our national security with regard to Iran, in particular, has made it far more difficult for those like me, who are pro-free trade, pro-smart trade, and because of that and the discussions about immigration visas being part of the negotiations and the indications from other countries that that is taking place, the secrecy around these negotiations is another component of it. When we have to go into a secure room and give up our iPhone and leave our notes there in order to be able to see what the administration will present us as far as these negotiations are concerned, it is hard to have confidence that we are getting all of the straight story.…”