Blumenthal Statement On Trade Vote

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement today after the Senate’s failure to bring up debate on fast-track trade legislation, by a vote of 52-45:

“I voted against cloture today because trade promotion must go hand-in-hand with worker protections and trade enforcement. The present proposal is a disservice to Connecticut job growth and economic interest, as well as our national economy. I remain opposed to Trade Promotion Authority because it would short-circuit Congressional consideration of the largest trade deal ever negotiated. If the Senate considers TPA, we absolutely must do so as part of a package that includes the other three essential bills before us – providing assistance for workers in displaced industries, establishing stronger remedies when trade agreements are breached, and promoting investment in developing countries. These three bills would go a long way toward ensuring that future trade deals entered under this framework protect American workers and values. I was pleased to join the overwhelming majority of my Democratic Senate colleagues in voting to consider the trade bills only as one package.”