{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://neal.house.gov/2025/12/10/neal-opening-statement-at-markup-of-h-r-6500-the-agoa-extension-act/", "Neal Opening Statement at Markup of H.R. 6500, the \u201cAGOA Extension Act\u201d", "2025-12-10", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Thank you, Mr. Chairman.\n\nAGOA has been the cornerstone of America\u2019s partnership with Africa for nearly twenty-five years. At a moment when the White House is actively undermining that relationship, while fueling chaos across the continent, leveling IEEPA tariffs on the world\u2019s poorest countries, and trafficking in dangerous rhetoric that demeans African people, it is more important than ever that Congress show we remain committed to our allies.\n\nThis isn\u2019t the bill I would have written. We are not na\u00efve to ongoing challenges around labor rights and human rights, and certainly, TAA should\u2019ve been included. But the moment is too grave to let it pass us by. We cannot allow our economic and diplomatic ties with Africa to languish under the cruelty of this administration. They are extorting those with the least to give and that\u2019s just not who we are.\n\nMy commitment to expanding TAA and advancing policies that strengthen worker rights is iron clad, and we all know there\u2019s a long way between the Committee and the floor. I plan to use that time working on the reauthorization of TAA for this Congress. When our workers thrive, our economies thrive, and it\u2019s a disappointment, though not a surprise, that Republicans refuse to meet that moment. Our global competitiveness depends on investing in our allies and our workers\u2014not abandoning them.\n\nUnfortunately, our Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member couldn\u2019t be here today, but I want to enter her statement into the record.\n\nWith that, I yield the balance of my time to Ranking Member Sewell.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://neal.house.gov/2025/12/10/neal-opening-statement-at-markup-of-h-r-6500-the-agoa-extension-act/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6814280059188604, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}