Political Quotes

“I offered an amendment that received 135 votes, including a majority of the Democrats and 22 Republicans, and that very simple amendment said that a company receiving Ex-Im funds must not lay off a greater percentage of U.S. workers than workers abroad. Frankly, during the conference committee, I was not surprised that that amendment was rejected. We did not win it on the floor of the House. But let me tell you about another amendment that I offered. I offered an amendment that would simply require companies that receive assistance, now, we are talking about billions of dollars for corporate America, that those companies that receive this assistance sign a pledge, a nonbinding pledge, that they believe in employing U.S. workers at livable wages. Now, imagine that: corporate America comes in, they get billions of dollars, and we want them to sign a nonbinding pledge that does no more than says they believe in employing American workers at a livable wage. I could not even get that amendment past the conference committee.”