Political Quotes

“4 years ago, I joined my Republican colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee and voted to give the President of the United States trade promotion authority--4 years ago. I have been a supporter of trade promotion authority for a long time, but I also realize that when it comes to trade, there are issues on which we have to work on together. We are at a juncture now where it is hard to move forward here in the Senate. I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that there are basic things about the future of America in a global economy--the American people want to be assured that there are going to be tools for them to compete. So the fact that the Finance Committee and the negotiators of the trade promotion authority spent months and months on whether we were going to have TAA--which is a program that helps laid-off workers who are impacted by trade--because some House conservatives did not support trade adjustment authority--workers being retrained when they are affected by trade agreements--we spent months and months because some conservatives in the House do not believe in government and do not believe in this program that helps support laid-off workers. Then we had to spend weeks and weeks out here because people on the other side of the aisle--again at the behest of conservatives in the House--did not want to support enforcement.…”