Political Quotes

“Mr. President, let me begin by clearly stating I understand the majority leader later today will issue a unanimous consent request to move forward on the AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade bill, and the Burma sanctions package as well as CAFTA-DR. Those are all efforts I supported as a member of the Finance Committee and voted for and ultimately want to see passed. I believe trade is an effective development tool and that by investing in people we can make a long-term and sustainable change in developing countries. But at the same time, I am very concerned about our failure to reauthorize the cotton and wool trust funds which are crucial to sustaining jobs in the United States and jobs in my State of New Jersey. For some time now I have been working tirelessly to reach an agreeable resolution on the issue, one that enables us to pass AGOA and CAFTA-DR and Burma sanctions while simultaneously protecting dwindling apparel sector jobs in the United States, hundreds in my home State, thousands across the country, and ensuring that our trade is not just free but is also fair. That is not the case right now.…”