Ben Cardin: “I had hoped that we were going to have a real debate on fast track where we would have a chance to reach a fair…”

“I had hoped that we were going to have a real debate on fast track where we would have a chance to reach a fair compromise on the issue. Instead we are going through a political exercise. That is regrettable. In today's world, fast track should give the President the ability to negotiate international standards on labor and environment. But, no, this legislation restricts the President's ability to negotiate international standards on labor and environment. Negotiating strong international standards on environmental and labor issues will help American manufacturers, producers and farmers. It makes no sense to restrict the President's negotiating ability in this area unless you want to help foreign companies with cheap labor and poor environmental records. For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I must oppose the fast track legislation that we have today. I would hope that in the future, there will be a real effort by the Republican leadership to work on a fast track bill that could pass this House, that will give the appropriate authority to the President.”