"So, TPA. As we all know, trade promotion authority is a process for negotiating and considering trade deals. Some people wonder why we care about this process so much. But that’s because only a good process will get us a good result.

"We're negotiating a lot of trade deals right now. And our negotiators need this process in place so they can get a fair deal for the American worker.

"The reason is, our trading partners won't make concessions if they don't trust us. If they think Congress will rewrite the deal, they won't put their best offers on the table. So Congress and the president have to present a united front.

"Now some people think that means Congress needs to defer to the administration. Far from it. What we're saying is, the administration needs to defer to Congress.

"TPA puts Congress in the driver's seat—because we set the agenda. What we say to the administration is, first, here are the negotiating objectives.

"Tear down barriers to our exports. Beef up protections for our intellectual property. Get rid of kickbacks for government-owned firms.

"Second, here are your transparency and consultation requirements. Every member can read the negotiating text. Every member can attend negotiating rounds.

"And 60 days before the administration finalizes the deal, it's got to publish the full text of the agreement, so the American people can read it themselves.

"And third, if you don't meet all of these requirements, we can revoke TPA for that agreement. Congress gets the final say. But if you do meet all these requirements, we will vote on the deal in a timely manner.

"And once we show our trading partners we're trustworthy, they'll put their best offers on the table.

"Now, why are we doing all this? Because more American trade means more American jobs.

"Ninety-six percent of the world's customers—they don't live in the United States; they live in other countries. So if we want to create more jobs here, we need to open those markets.

"Other countries have been keeping our products out with all sorts of trade barriers. We have a unique opportunity to write the rules of these trade deals to tear down those barriers and open markets for American products.

"And TPA will increase our bargaining power so we get the most effective trade deals possible—so we tear down more trade barriers and create more opportunity right here in America. If we don't, countries like China are more than happy to step in and write the global rules.

"That's the point. I want TPA in place so we can level the playing field for the American worker, so we can create more jobs and higher take-home pay, and so we can build a healthy economy and more opportunity for all."