Political Quotes

“I come to the floor today to discuss two amendments that are pending to the trade bill. I want to begin by thanking Chairman Hatch and Ranking Member Wyden, as well as Senators McConnell and Reid, for working with me to make these amendments pending. I believe it is important that we have an amendment process as we consider granting trade promotion authority to the President. Enacting the bill before us will have major impacts on our Nation's economy for years to come, and Senators should have an opportunity to improve the product reported by the Committee on Finance. The trade promotion authority bill by its very nature demands that Senators be able to debate and vote on key trade issues. That is because the trade promotion authority bill creates a process by which trade agreements are submitted to Congress for approval without the opportunity to change them on the House or Senate floor. So it is critical that we utilize the opportunity we have now to set the rules of the road for future trade agreements and to enact important trade reforms. Today, I would like to discuss two amendments I believe will strengthen the trade package. Amendment No. 1227 As ranking member of the small business committee, it is my responsibility to look at bills on the Senate floor and ask: How does this affect small businesses? How will they benefit or be harmed? How can we improve this bill so that small businesses have a seat at the table?…”