Bill Pascrell: “this is a great day. Tomorrow will be a great day, also. I have finally found a trade agreement I could agree with. And…”

“this is a great day. Tomorrow will be a great day, also. I have finally found a trade agreement I could agree with. And the reason why, for the first time, Members from both sides of the aisle have had a say in what that is. Article I, section 8 is alive and well. I want to tell my friend from Texas, I'm sorry he left the floor, this is the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act. This is not the United States-Peru free trade. See, that got us into trouble. I want to just correct him that we have the right title because free trade is what got us into trouble. We need fair trade. That's what this legislation is all about. So I rise in strong support of H.R. 3688. This is a bipartisan bill. This is a carefully crafted measure that deserves broad support. There is not a single group that I have dealt with recently who hasn't said, and I have sat with all of them, at the very least that real progress has been made in the Peru deal. Even the most vociferous opponents, who may be in this room right now, of this trade deal state clearly that noticeable achievements have, indeed, occurred. The new provisions on workers rights and the environment represents significant accomplishments in crucial areas. And for that, Mr. Rangel and Mr. Levin, Democratic leadership should be commended, and I salute you both. You don't protect good-paying American jobs by freezing trade. You don't do it that way.…”