Political Quotes

“I thank my good friend from West Virginia, Senator Manchin. I thank him for his leadership. I thank him for his independence. I thank him for his partnership as we push for greater transparency on this very important trade bill. In the past few weeks, the public has heard a lot about the Trans- Pacific Partnership, a massive trade deal the United States is negotiating with 11 other trade companies. The public has heard from supporters that it is the most progressive trade deal in history--a deal that will benefit working families and small businesses--and they have heard from opponents that it will only tilt the playing field further in favor of multinational corporations and leave workers and everyone else behind. The public has heard a lot, but in all that time they have never actually seen the deal itself. In fact, the press hasn't seen the deal, economists haven't seen the deal, legal experts haven't seen the deal. Most everyone in America hasn't seen the deal. Why? Because the administration has classified the deal, making it illegal for any of those people to read it. Members of Congress, as Senator Manchin said, can read it so long as they go into a secret room and don't leave with any notes. But even Members of Congress are prohibited from talking about the details in public or discussing the details with the people they were sent to Washington to represent.…”