David Thomas: “we are finally moving forward on the trade bill. I hope we can move quickly. It is one of the more important issues…”

“we are finally moving forward on the trade bill. I hope we can move quickly. It is one of the more important issues before us, of which there are many. I say again, I hope we can take a look at this bill in terms of what it is designed to do, and that is to provide for the President an outline of how he may negotiate trade agreements and bring those trade agreements, within the guidelines in the bill now, to the Senate, and the Senate can approve or disapprove. Negotiations have to be done broadly by two parties. It cannot be done by 535 Members of Congress. I am hopeful we can get down to the core issue with regard to trade so that the United States can keep up with the rest of the world. Over the past 10 years, since 1994 when this trade authority has not been in place, countries around the world have moved forward with various agreements, and the United States has not been able to do that. Large agreements were made by others. The more amendments we have, the more difficult it will be to get down to what we are really seeking to do, and that is to have negotiations which will give the United States fair opportunities for trade.”