Considered most newsworthy to participate in the debate. Candidates get one minute to answer questions and 32nd rebuttals a lot of the moderator discretion. We think both candidates. Our opening question is about the covid19 pandemic and it goes to you first, senator feltes. Thanksgiving is a little more than fiveweek the way and it is fair to say that a sense of connection is more important to people and it has been. The reality is we are seeing cases of covid every day and rising numbers across the country. How do you lead granite stators through the end of the year as they no doubt want to be together with loved ones but fear that could put them in others at risk . Sen. Feltes families are sacrificing and struggling. Hundreds of lost loved ones, tens of thousands of lost jobs, thousands more their homes, cases are going up right now in schools shutting down. Obamacare, the Health Care System we rely on, is in jeopardy right now. Working families dont know what the next week will rin
Were opening up churches. Were eveniopening up hair salo. Today well send astronauts back into space. He only place that hasnt been opening is here at the capitol house. The we have something thats essential that congress does its work. Oday for more than 231 years never have within seen a proxy vote on the floor of the house. Challenge is the constitution only to protect and speaker. It violates the constitution. By a dir election of duty its dare election of duty by its members. 1793, the yellow fever of the civil war, the burning of of capitol during the war 1812, the spanish flu of 1918, and even 9 11. Fromess has never flinched its constitutional duty to phold and assemble inside this body. But today is different. As of right now, this morning, democrats have written to the house clerk to have their vote member. Er the last i checked, one member n this body on the democratic side will vote for five different states just in this proxy scheme. If i look to california half of , more
Toomey why did the administration think it was worth renegotiating nafta . Was it that an unfair and balanced agreement . Was there a lack of reciprocity . Where the tariffs to high . No. To all of those questions. Nafta is a freetrade agreement. On 97 offs agricultural goods. No quotas. No obstacles. A to me is the epitome of free, fair, reciprocal trade agreement. Pennsylvania exports to mexico have grown. I think you can make a case that since nafta was signed in 1993, a lot has changed in the economy. We have this whole digital sector. Modernizing made sense. But that is not the reason they renegotiated nafta. Imports from mexico had grown more. And we have a trade deficit. A trade deficit with a country like mexico is insignificant economically to the u. S. That is not the view of the administration. Significantlyo diminish if not eliminate the trade deficit with mexico. That was the central motivating factor. That is why we have a lot of bad outcomes. It was the wrong intent in t
Thanks for the kind introduction and thank you for hosting this and giving me this chance to share my thoughts and have a conversation about what i think is an important topic. I appreciate everybody who came out, as well. I can, and one of the messages i get repeatedly from my staff, they like to take me aside, it doesnt mean you cant give a short speech and ill keep that advice in mind as i work through my remarks and look forward to the exchange with derek. So when i think of usmca, its a starting point about nafta. Why did the administration feel it was necessary to renegotiate nafta because that was the start of usmca. So was it that nafta was an unfair, imbalanced agreement or a lack of reciprocity or was it left that the tariffs left in nafta that they were too high and they were unacceptable obstacles to trade . No to all those questions. Nafta is a Free Trade Agreement and zero tariffs on 100 of manufactured goods and no quotas, no obstacles, and it me its the epitome of a fre
Hes expected to discuss the u. S. Mexicocanada trade agreement known as usmca. This is hosted by the American Enterprise Institute Just getting under way here live on cspan3. He has one of the authors of the 2017 tax cuts and jobs act. Hes been a proponent of deregulation and an advocate for ending bureaucratic overreach. Senator toomey, a strong defender of free trade will be laying out his thoughts on the current agreement today and after his presentation, he will be joined for a conversation with ai resident scholar dr. Scissors. He has written extensively on the usmca and its impact on americas position in the world. Please join me in welcoming senator toomey to the stage. [ applause ] thanks, robert, for that kind introduction and most of all, thanks to you and aei for hosting this and giving me this chance to share my thoughts and have a conversation about what i think is an important topic. I appreciate everybody who came out this morning as well. I can tell you that i i take se