Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I appreciate the comments and the insight provided by my friend and colleague, the distinguished Senator from Oregon. As to the point regarding our relative negotiating power and the wisdom of approaching this task right now, it is important to remember this resolution doesn't purport to offer the details of any such deal. It calls for a free-trade agreement. There is nothing surrendered by that. There is, however, a lot to be gained by that in signaling that we want to continue to have an open, free, and fair relationship with the United Kingdom. As to the process concerns articulated by my friend and colleague, while he has expressed some concerns about the process, I must provide some evidence to the contrary. Over the past year, my staff has communicated with the Senate Finance Committee staff, staff on both sides of the aisle, upward of half a dozen times. They have also pitched changes to assuage concerns about language multiple times but never received any definitive responses. Furthermore, I have worked with colleagues on the other side of the aisle to craft almost identical draft language on United States-United Kingdom trade that was included in S. Res. 117, on the Good Friday Agreement, which passed before this body without objection. There is no reason why we can't reach a similar compromise on this legislation, and I stand ready and willing to work with my colleague from Oregon to do so (At the request of Mr.…”