Timothy Roemer: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the floor, recognizing the importance of trade and growth in our economy, and rise as a…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the floor, recognizing the importance of trade and growth in our economy, and rise as a free trader. I have supported GATT, I have supported normal trade with China, I have supported the Caribbean Basin Initiative. I have also supported African trade. But I also rise, Mr. Speaker, as a fair trader. These initiatives were both free, to get into new markets, and fair. This proposal, fast track, is more of NAFTA. It is free trade, but it is not fair to our working people, to the people with families and jobs, particularly in the Midwest. NAFTA lost Hoosiers 17,000 jobs. NAFTA created a $40 billion deficit between the U.S. and Mexico when we had a surplus before, and fast track is more of NAFTA. Let us defeat this bill, but let us work together in a bipartisan way for growth and trade. Let us work on improving education and training for displaced workers. Let us work on trade fairness, and let us work on trade enforcement and implementation. Trade is important. Trade should be bipartisan. But trade has to be fair. This program will not be fair to working Hoosiers, it will not be fair to families, and it will not be good for America. I encourage my colleagues to defeat fast track.”