Patrick J. Tiberi: “I thank the chairman and thank him for his leadership, credible leadership, on this debate, about American leadership…”

“I thank the chairman and thank him for his leadership, credible leadership, on this debate, about American leadership, quite frankly. Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to debate three bills today: trade assistance for displaced workers, trade promotional and accountability authority that inserts Congress into the President's ability under the Constitution to negotiate a trade agreement with anybody he or she wants, and then finally customs and enforcement. Enforcement is critical, ladies and gentlemen. It is a bill I am so thrilled and honored to have had the opportunity to introduce here in the House. This is a key bill as part of trade. Far too long, we haven't had as good of enforcement, quite frankly, as we need to have, and I am committed to that. Now, let me just mention one thing--trade deficits, trade surpluses. We have 20 countries that we have agreements with, trade agreements with, 20 of them. Two of them happen to be on our borders, Mexico and Canada. You take out energy that we import from them--and I would rather import it from them than anywhere else in the world--we have a trade surplus with those 20 countries, a surplus in manufacturing. My dad was in manufacturing. I already told you before--and Mr. Levin has heard this 1,000 times, I think; he is probably tired of hearing it--my dad lost his job of 25 years, and I lost my health care as a kid in the household, along with my sisters, long before NAFTA. Globalization began occurring, as Dr.…”