On the recordMay 18, 2015
very briefly, in 30 seconds, I will explain the amendment. There are 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If at some point the President of the United States would like to add another country or two, this amendment simply says that Congress must approve; there must be a vote of the U.S. House of Representatives and a vote of the Senate in order to admit a new country. There is some concern that the People's Republic of China, which is now the second largest economy in the world, would come in through the backdoor without congressional approval. We want to make sure that neither the President who is in the White House today nor the next President nor the President after that can admit China or any other country with any other large economy or small economy in the TPP without congressional approval. We will discuss and debate this amendment more tomorrow. I thank Senator Wyden and Senator Hatch for moving this process forward and bringing up many amendments to debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon. Amendment No. 1227 to Amendment No. 1221 (Purpose: To make trade agreements work for small businesses)
