Political Quotes

“Madam President, I first rise to speak for 30 seconds on the trade adjustment assistance legislation and the amendment Senators Baucus and Casey and I have been working on, to make sure that trade adjustment is available to workers who have lost their jobs because of service or manufacturing and trade competition--only not real competition, because so often the deck is stacked far too much against American workers and American companies. Other amendments notwithstanding, I don't want to see this restricted to only those workers who have lost their jobs from unfair competition from countries we do not have trade agreements with. It sounds almost silly to have to say that. We need to keep this program focused on all workers who need some assistance, who need to be retrained. They lost their jobs through no doing of their own. It suggests the next issue, and that is something a bipartisan group of Senators has raised. Republican Senators, Senator Burr, Senator Graham, Senator Sessions, Senator Snowe, and Senator Collins, and Democratic Senators, Senator Schumer, Senator Stabenow, I am one of the five, Senator Hagan, and Senator Casey--each of us has pushed for legislation dealing with the problems of currency. The Chinese have clearly gamed the system. We spent all this time on the budget deficit. It is certainly worth addressing in a big way. But we spend so little time on the trade deficit, and the trade deficit cuts right into eliminating American jobs.…”