Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with great enthusiasm because at long last the House and Senate are poised to act on the most bipartisan, economically compelling jobs bills of the Obama Presidency. By supporting this rule and ratifying these agreements, we are taking a huge step towards leveling the playing field for U.S. goods and services. And in doing so, we can create hundreds of thousands of good- paying jobs right here in America. And thanks to the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, the tariffs on many American products will come down immediately, giving a massive boost to our economy at a time when we need it more than ever. All told, these fair trade agreements would support an estimated quarter-million American jobs and increase exports by $13 million. And my home State of Illinois will be among the first to benefit. Currently, Illinois ranks sixth in the Nation in terms of total exports; 109 companies in my district alone export abroad, and local exports support nearly 65,000 jobs in just DuPage, Cook and Will counties. These aren't just large manufacturers like Boeing, Navistar, and Kraft; they're also small businesses with a handful of employees. In fact, 90 percent of Illinois exporters are small businesses, exporting everything from computer chips to financial services.…”