Robin Hayes in Courage and Consequence

On Free Trade: District full of textile mills needs trade barriers

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is also known as "fast-track" authority because it gives the president the ability to hash out the fine details of a trade agreement & then submit it to Congress for an up-or-down vote. Without fast-track, it is virtually impossible to work out a trade deal without getting bogged down in Congress over side disputes. TPA had expired in 1994. It became important to pass in 2001 as a sign that the US was taking a leadership role in shoring up a global economy shaken by 9/11.

The measure passed by a single vote, cast by Rep. Robin Hayes (R, NC), whose district was full of textile mills and voters who feared losing their jobs if trade barriers were lowered. A textile mill owner himself, Hayes voted on principle: he believed TPA was a power any president should have. But it was not an easy vote for him to make. After casting it, he sat down on the House floor and wept, believing he had ended his political career.

I made it a personal crusade to see him reelected. He won.

Source: Courage and Consequence, by Karl Rove, p.307-308 Mar 9, 2010

The above quotations are from Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, by Karl Rove. Click here for other excerpts from Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, by Karl Rove. Click here for other excerpts by Robin Hayes. Click here for a profile of Robin Hayes.
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Page last updated: Apr 23, 2013