Roy Blunt: “I think what Senator Portman and I thought when the President said for these three trade agreements to be voted on, we…”

“I think what Senator Portman and I thought when the President said for these three trade agreements to be voted on, we had to have trade adjustment assistance. We looked at the negotiated package. It was not exactly what any of us who signed the letter would have negotiated. We said, look, these are the jobs that are the low- hanging fruit of job creation if we get these three trade bills. We are willing to look at the Baucus camp-negotiated TAA, and support it in a way the White House can sign it and send these agreements up. Senator Hoeven mentioned, as he and I and all of us were sitting in the House Chamber last Thursday night, listening to the President's remarks when he said we need to pass these three trade agreements, I was almost sure the next sentence would be: And so tomorrow, I am sending these trade agreements up. That next sentence did not occur. Just like the week in August where the President was on his bus tour and every single day on the bus tour he said Congress can do something right now that would create more American jobs if they will pass these three trade agreements. Every time he said that, even though I was hearing it on the TV, I could not help but talk back to the television or the radio and say: Well, we cannot pass them unless you send them up. You are absolutely right, this is one of the easiest things we could do to create jobs, Mr. President, but we have to have the agreements from you before we can vote on them.…”