Betty Sutton: “Thank you so much, Mr. Michaud, and Ms. Sanchez. Both of you, your leadership is a shining example for all of us. As you…”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Michaud, and Ms. Sanchez. Both of you, your leadership is a shining example for all of us. As you point out, this is a moment of supreme importance when it comes to the trade policy of this country. Last November, the American people cast their votes for new leaders with the hope that we would replace our broken trade system with one that will truly allow for fair competition, because we know that if given a fair playing field, we will excel in the global marketplace. The first step, as both of you so rightfully point out, has to be that Congress must stop ceding its constitutional authority and responsibility over trade to the President. The lack of oversight and accountability, giving the President what's been called Fast Track authority, the damage that Fast Track authority has wrought on the United States trade policy has led to devastating consequences, some of which you have already heard about throughout this country. It certainly has had a devastating impact on the area that I represent. We have lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs in Ohio since 2000. That means that people's futures have been seriously put at risk. There are kids out there today who won't be able to go to college because of the jobs that their parents lost due to Fast Track, and the bad trade deals that resulted under Fast Track. There are people out there who won't have health care for their families because of the bad policy that has resulted under Fast Track.”