Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, America's trading relationships, as well as the challenges we face in trade around the world, are evolving every day. We must respond to those challenges now, not years in the future. Families, farmers, workers, and small businesses rely on us to look out for them in an increasingly complex world. Last year, the Committee on Ways and Means traveled to the port of Staten Island in New York and a cattle auction barn in Minnesota to listen to the American people whose livelihoods depend on international trade. They all asked Congress to do more to insist on strong enforcement of our trade laws. The bill before us, H.R. 5862, will help address the challenges of ever-changing threats around the world through more effective enforcement of U.S. trade laws. It takes six narrowly defined jobs at Customs and Border Protection and replaces them with a single position of trade specialist in the agency's Office of International Trade. This streamlining will make CBP respond faster and more effectively to our Nation's trade challenges and protect and defend America's economic interests. I thank the bill's sponsor and author, certainly, Representative Steel, as well as Representative Panetta, for taking the lead on this critical issue for American workers and the security of our supply chains. This bipartisan legislation will help ensure that American workers, families, farmers, and small businesses are not left behind.…”