Orrin Hatch: “I wish to talk about an amendment I intend to offer linking TAA expansion to enactment of the three pending free-trade…”

“I wish to talk about an amendment I intend to offer linking TAA expansion to enactment of the three pending free-trade agreements. I will send an amendment to the desk in the near future for consideration. This amendment makes the effective date for additional TAA funding contingent upon the enactment of our free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. It is unfortunate this amendment is necessary. Supporters of this trade adjustment assistance bill tell us that TAA is a necessary precondition to submission of our pending free-trade agreements--a necessary precondition of the President. The President and his supporters say if TAA does not pass, the free-trade agreements will never be sent to Congress for our consideration. I find this logic disturbing. It basically boils down to this: Spend more taxpayer money on one of our pet trade priorities or we will refuse to allow Congress to vote on trade agreements that we know will create jobs. The administration has said it will create 250,000 new jobs. By the way, at a time when unemployment is over 9 percent, I simply can't understand why the President continues to hold up these FTAs and their consideration. Even today, we don't know if the President will actually send the FTAs to Congress if we pass TAA. So my amendment is very simple.…”