[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H10424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                STAND UP FOR AMERICA: DEFEAT FAST TRACK

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, since the passage of NAFTA, NAFTA has 
contributed to numerous workplace, economic and environmental problems, 
including an increase in the import of contaminated food, downward 
pressure on United States wages, employer threats to move to Mexico, 
and a skyrocketing trade deficit.
  Fast-track has failed to address any of those problems. First of all, 
with respect to our trade deficit growth and the loss of jobs, fast-
track takes no action on that, no improvement, fails to address it.
  Second, there is pressure to lower U.S. wages, and there is lowering 
of wages going on in this country in manufacturing because of NAFTA. 
Fast-track fails to address that.
  Third, since NAFTA, we have had employer threats to move to NAFTA 
partner countries. The fast-track agreement fails to take action on 
that and fails to address it.
  Unless we address these critical problems in fast-track, the NAFTA 
problems will spread like a virus through North America and the world. 
We need higher standards for our wages, for our workers and for our 
countries. Stand up for America; defeat fast-track.

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