George Holding: “I thank the gentleman from Texas, my good friend, the chairman of the Rules Committee, for yielding. Here we go again…”

“I thank the gentleman from Texas, my good friend, the chairman of the Rules Committee, for yielding. Here we go again, Mr. Speaker, debating what should be the United States' future role in the global economy. We have heard a lot over the past few months about the economic benefits associated with free and fair trade, but trade is just as important to our Nation's foreign policy as it is to our bottom line. There is no question that trade is an important, strategic soft-power tool. Mr. Speaker, I don't think for one second China isn't watching this very debate right now, waiting to see how serious we, the Congress, are about America's economic future and commitment to retaining our position of global leadership. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I would venture to guess they have been focused on what a deal like the TPP would mean for their sitting and future ambitions in the Asia Pacific region for a long time now. The United States can either be in a position where we can write the rules for the future trade agreements and develop closer bilateral ties with our negotiating partners, or we can sit on the sidelines. Passing TPA is about expanding our influence in a critical region of the world with the TPP and solidifying our alliances with our partners in Europe with the TTIP. Failing to pass TPA, I fear, will confirm many of our allies' own fears that America is in retreat from the global stage. But we can send a strong signal today, Mr.…”