Earl Blumenauer: “My good friend from Texas, if he would have bothered to talk to the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, who…”

“My good friend from Texas, if he would have bothered to talk to the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, who was seated on the floor next to him, would have known that there is a trade bill coming to the floor, passed unanimously, 39-0, that is a reflection of what we were sent here to do, which was to redefine, redirect these policies so that they were win-wins, so that they benefited the economy, not at the expense of working men and women, not at the expense of the environment. And the legislation we have before us here today is an extension of that strategy. There is a clash of philosophies that you are going to hear in the next hour. We have included a greater scope, including services, as you have talked about. The notion is to expand and enhance, to deal with people who are disadvantaged, in some cases harmed, because of global impacts beyond their control.”