Louie Gohmert: “It seems so often in this body we tend not to learn from mistakes. We passed a bill--I guess part of a bill--that the…”

“It seems so often in this body we tend not to learn from mistakes. We passed a bill--I guess part of a bill--that the Senate sent, referred to as the TPA, but it is all about a trade agreement that will provide a structure in which the President can negotiate and dock other agreements into it. Since the TAA did not pass, then it can't, apparently, go directly to conference unless we pass an amendment to allow it to go to conference or find some other way to effectuate a conference on agreement. Mr. Speaker, I can only surmise that, since the Speaker, himself, moved to reconsider, then there is something afoot in order to keep it from dying, as it should have, since both the TPA and the TAA did not pass. The TPA, I read it. It has got some good aspects to it, but it is not, in and of itself, free trade. As a judge in a district court--our highest level trial court in Texas--so many times, I would be the fact finder without a jury. So often, you would sit and listen to the evidence, and you would wonder why someone would take the action he did. There has got to be some motivating factor. You consider all of the possibilities. We had a very rare visit from President Obama to the Capitol, trying to push people to vote for the TPA--this trade agreement--and the TAA. It was great to see him come out to the Congressional Baseball Game last night. It is not something he does regularly. So, Mr. Speaker, I am left to wonder.…”