WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the Senate vote to extend fast track authority for more NAFTA-style trade deals, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) issued the following statement:

“For too long, trade agreements have offered big promises but have produced bad results. Today’s bill is more of the same. Instead of getting this bill done by Memorial Day, we should get it done right. We shouldn’t give fast track authority if we can’t guarantee a level playing field for American workers and manufacturers, or if we can’t prevent communist China from joining the pact at a later date.

“American workers deserve a full and thorough debate in Congress on trade policy. However, more than 200 amendments were filed by 46 senators, but we only voted on seven of them. While the Senate thwarted critical improvements to trade policy, the House still has a chance to get this right. That means passing my Leveling the Playing Field Act, which would give American industry new tools to fight back against unfairly traded imports, and it means passing our amendment to crack down on countries that manipulate currency to give their exports an advantage over American-made products.”

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