MSNBC "The Ed Show"- Transcript: Trans Pacific Partnership

Interview

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It looks like they`re going to have the votes in the Senate and its going
to really put pressure on what I`m told or about a dozen lawmakers in the
House that could swing this one way or the other.

Give us a sense, Congressman, how set are they? How decided (ph) are they?
Do you think this has a chance of passing in the House?

CONGRESSMAN TIM RYAN, (D) OHIO: Well, obviously, there`s going to be a lot
of heat coming on to members on the Democratic side from the environmental
groups, the religious groups, the labor unions are, you know, constantly
cranking up the heat. We`re making the arguments internally, you know, to
our colleagues. And on the Republican side, I think it`s, do you want to
give President Obama any power at all.

So, you know, whether to Democrats or the Republicans, I think, there`s a
lot of heat coming on because that this gets down to -- in my estimation,
from the Democratic side, you know, whether or not we respect workers. I
think it gets down to that value. I think that we have as a country, do
you respect workers in the United States of America. And if you do respect
workers in the United States, you certainly not going to put them in a
position where it becomes very difficult to have the opportunity to go to
work.

We`re talking about just opportunity is going to be diminished because of
this trade agreement when you`re competing with the worker in Vietnam that
makes $0.56 an hour. That`s not...

SCHULTZ: Well, Congressman, we have focused a lot on this program about
the investor state trade dispute, is there a way that that could be rectify
that would swing this vote to a positive? Not that I`m in favor of it but
just the logistics of it all. Is that the sticking point as you see it?

RYAN: Well, it`s hard to tell because you don`t have all the knowledge,
all the information, I think, that we need right now to make that decision.
That may sway a couple people but I don`t know if that will sway a lot of
people. It`s a big concern for me but I don`t know if it`s on those 12, or
15 or 20, whatever the number is.

SCHULTZ: Is the constant pounding and the constant focus that Senator
Elizabeth Warren is putting on this? Is this emboldening those in the
House?

RYAN: Yeah. She has done a phenomenal job. Sherrod Brown has done a
phenomenal job. Really using their position in the Senate to raise
awareness and make these arguments, before there wasn`t this kind of
opposition to NAFTA or some of these other trade agreements, and people are
speaking up.

And I think because we have that evidence of NAFTA in Ohio, in Western
Pennsylvania, in the industrial Midwest, we have evidence. It helps
Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown make those really strong arguments and
start convincing people. And I think, that`s why -- it`s been a struggle
on the Senate and it`s going to be a struggle in the House. They may get
there but not without a really strong fight must.

SCHULTZ: All right. Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, thanks for joining us
tonight.

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