Washington, DC – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., issued the following statement after voting against the Senate motion to proceed on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation this afternoon:
"While I agree with many of the strategic and economic reasons for engaging in fair and free trade with the world’s growing economies, I cannot support this legislation without more significant steps that ensure American competitiveness with the world. To thrive and prosper in the hyper-competitive global economy of the 21st Century, workers need more than trade adjustment assistance. We must direct our energy towards ensuring that our young people and displaced workers are able to get the training and skills they need to compete and succeed, and expand apprenticeship programs to train workers for higher-wage, advanced manufacturing jobs.
“Furthermore, I’m concerned by the lack of enforceable currency rules in this bill, especially as a number of our negotiating partners have manipulated their currencies in the recent past.”
