[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     UNITED STATES TEXTILE INDUSTRY

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                          HON. CASS BALLENGER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2002

  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I introduced four measures 
which will help the United States textile industry in its efforts to 
compete on the global playing field.
  Many American textile companies are fighting for their survival due 
to unfairly undervalued imports produced by low-wage foreign 
manufacturers. One competitive advantage that the U.S. industry still 
has is its productivity. The American textile industry is one of the 
most productive in the world, but American companies must constantly 
modernize to retain that edge.
  Unfortunately, much of the machinery the American textile industry 
needs to compete is no longer produced here in the United States, so 
the industry must seek such equipment from foreign sources. However, 
they must still pay duties on those machines. At a time when our 
domestic industry is suffering its most severe economic crisis since 
the Great Depression, with hundreds of closed mills and nearly 70,000 
jobs lost in the past year, it makes no sense to require companies to 
pay duties on equipment that is not produced domestically.
  Some of our leading American textile companies have entered Chapter 
11 of the Bankruptcy Code, others are experiencing substantial losses, 
and even some of those who are profitable are barely so. For these 
companies, if we suspend the duties, the money they could save when 
purchasing new equipment can be put to better use, and we could save 
more American textile jobs from being lost.
  Congress has acted previously to suspend the duties on these 
particular machines, but that suspension has now expired. Accordingly, 
I am introducing legislation to temporarily suspend the collection of 
duties on these four types of machines that are no longer produced in 
the U.S.
  The machines in question include certain ink jet and other textile 
printing machines, certain shuttle type power looms, and certain 
shuttleless power looms. The detailed description of these machines, 
including their Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers, are found in the 
bills themselves. All four types of equipment are essential to various 
textile producers, large and small, throughout the United States.
  I urge the Ways and Means Committee to act swiftly to approve these 
bills.

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