Speech #1140031410

Mr. Chairman. this amendment addresses the circumstances around the trade promotion authority and later on. perhaps. the TransPacific Partnership. but it also addresses any of our trade negotiations that might take place that would be funded under this bill. The rationale is that there has been much concern about the negotiations with regard to trade promotion authority in particular. enabling the discussion about immigration visas as being part of the trade negotiations. It is a longstanding pattern and practice of this Congress to assert our constitutional authority over immigration visas. When our U.S. Trade Representative or other negotiators bring in negotiations that have to do with visas. it complicates our trade negotiations and puts us in a place where. when we see a trade agreement come before us. perhaps it is under a trade promotion authority that would be negotiated and this House votes on it. then it may well have within it visa agreements that have been negotiated with the multiple countries and taking out of the hands of Congress the ability to directly establish. although there is an indirect inference. but directly establish our immigration policy. A lot of the opposition to the trade negotiations that have been taking place in the TransPacific Partnership have been about concerns of news reports that have come from places likes Australia that have pointed out that there are negotiations going on that have to do with visas. There was a circumstance several years ago. under a previous administration. where they had negotiated immigration provisions in a trade agreement. and even though it was a nonamendable trade agreement. we went before the Judiciary Committee and had a full hearing. I offered two amendments that passed. and ultimately. there were changes made in that agreement. There is a long history on this with me. It has been an important issue to maintain the separation of immigration policy and the Congress from the executive branch negotiations in trade. That is what this amendment does. It says no immigrant visas will be negotiated in trade agreements. That means all of them. Again. the Constitution enumerates this power to the Congress. not the executive branch.