[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           VOTE AGAINST GATT

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today this House will consider the most 
overarching trade agreement in our history. But it is based on the same 
worn-out, tired philosophy that has held down our workers' wages and 
standard of living for the past 20 years. It is a familiar pattern. 
Corporate profits go up, consumer prices go up, but our workers' wages 
continue to go down.
  At the same time as these past trade agreements have been signed and 
tariffs have come down to almost nothing as they have existed for a 
number of years, America has continued to accrue larger and larger 
trade deficits, and more lost jobs across this country, this year alone 
being among the largest and perhaps the largest in U.S. history. Yet we 
are allowed only 4 hours of debate with no amendments allowed today. 
Even the section on patents and weakening our inventors' patent 
protections deserves at least 4 hours of debate. What a tragedy that we 
cannot fully debate the surrender of America's authority to the World 
Trade Organization or debate the billions of dollars in tax increases 
folded into this bill even as America will lose $40 billion in tax 
revenues.
  The American people deserve to know more and they deserve trade 
agreements that will again result in rising wages for the first time in 
two decades. Today any responsible Member will vote ``no'' on GATT. The 
people have a right to know.

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