Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in just a short period of time here in the Senate Chamber we will be voting on fast-track legislation designed to create a very quick path through the Senate for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and for trade agreements to come thereafter. So I rise now to share with my colleagues and to share with the American people my concerns about this course of action. It is President Kennedy who once said: ``The trade of a nation expresses, in a very concrete way, its aims and aspirations.'' What are our aims and aspirations in the context of this trade agreement and fast-track? From my perspective, the thing that really matters is whether this trade agreement will create good-paying jobs or will destroy good- paying jobs. Will this trade agreement make the American economy work better for working Americans? I feel it fails the test. I am going to explain why. Now, it is true that the trade agreement is complex. It is multidimensional. It has a dimension that deals with intellectual property, with the extension of copyrights and patents and protections for trade secrets. That is certainly a win for protecting an innovation economy and innovation by Americans and American companies. It has an agricultural section. We have sought out an analysis of the agricultural section, but don't have one yet. But those in the know say there is a good chance that the tariffs that are struck down and the nontariff barriers that are struck down as barriers to U.S.…”