Political Quotes

“Democrats just left a very powerful presentation from the President of the United States to our Members, who simply ask that our Members play it straight: vote for things they believe in. For instance, 125 Democrats voted for Trade Adjustment Assistance to help workers displaced because of things in the global economy. We have a provision before us today that is actually stronger than what 125 of us voted for before; yet there are some that are thinking, well, they may not vote for it. I have had ads run against me for cutting Medicare; yet I am going to ask to enter into the Record a letter from the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, American Health Care Association, and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice that point out there were no cuts to Medicare because of the changes that we are involved with making. Now, this is part of the problem we are having dealing with how to consider trade promotion authority. This is something that all of us should embrace. It sets the rules for the administration to negotiate and how we will evaluate it. It will guarantee, as my friend from Nebraska just pointed out, everybody in America will have almost 5 full months to look at it before it is ever voted on. It contains the strongest environmental and labor provisions of any trade provisions in history. That is what people talked to me about when they wanted NAFTA fixed. Trade promotion authority that we have here will do it.…”