mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
in quick response to the gentleman from vermont , our economy is growing jobs at the rate of about 200 , 000 a month . 
productivity is higher than it has ever been . 
our economy is the fastest growing economy at 4.3 percent per year . 
the economy is strong in the united states . 
unemployment figures are down below 5 percent . 
it is lower than it was in any of the previous decades . 
our economy is strong and it is growing , and it is growing because of the type of legislation that we are passing . 
we can not be protectionists and retain the strong economy that we have in a world that is going free trade . 
you may not like free trade , but the world is going free trade . 
and if we are going to compete in the global economy , we need to move towards free trade , and we need to be careful in negotiating these agreements one after the other . 
mr. speaker , i now happily yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from california ( mr. dreier ) xz4001150 , the chairman of the rules committee . 
