Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement after the passage of a bill giving Trade Promotion Authority to the president:

"I am simply appalled to see that a Trade Promotion Authority bill passed the House Floor this afternoon.

Our Constitution gives Congress the authority to set tariffs and enact legislation that governs trade, while the president and his cabinet are supposed to negotiate these trade agreements. If the president negotiates a trade agreement that requires changes in U.S. tariffs or other laws, this must be approved by the Congress. This is what the balance of power is all about.

Why Congress voted to give up its authority is beyond me. I have Never voted for TPA or Fast Track or whatever you want to call it, whether there was a Democrat in the White House or a Republican. The reason: it is just poor public policy.

Shame on this Congress for taking up a trade bill at this time when there are thousands upon thousands of Americans out of work. Shame on the Republican leadership, who instead of bringing up bills to help American workers, led a debate on a bill that sends even more American jobs overseas! We already saw what happened in Florida during NAFTA. Our farmers were promised a lot, but later found themselves without work. Since NAFTA was enacted, hundreds of Florida farmers lost their jobs, and packing houses lost even more.

At a time when the U.S. economy is in a recession and America is in the midst of a war, U.S. workers should not be put at additional risk by this horrible bill."