[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H1003-H1004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORTING NATIONAL MANUFACTURING WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, we all support American 
manufacturers; every Member of Congress should. But feel-good 
resolutions such as the one we are voting on this week will do little 
to cure our manufacturing ills.
  We are running record trade deficits each year. When I first ran for 
Congress in 1992, the U.S. trade deficit, as you can see on this chart, 
was $38 billion. The trade deficit last year, after 12 years of 
misplaced trade policy, 12 years of misplaced tax policy and 4 years of 
a Bush administration that has totally ignored manufacturing, we now 
see a trade deficit of $617 billion. From $38 billion to $617 billion 
in a space of only 13 years.
  The U.S. has become the world's largest debtor nation, over $2.5 
trillion in 2002. The dollar continues to lose value in world markets.
  Last year, we had the opportunity to pass Crane/Rangel, a bipartisan 
bill to help the American manufacturing industry by encouraging them to 
produce goods in the United States. But instead, we passed an 
alternative that, as usual, gave handouts to multinational corporations 
and did little to nothing for our family-owned manufacturing 
facilities.
  My State of Ohio has lost more than 170,000 manufacturing jobs since 
2001, and the remaining small manufacturing businesses are struggling 
to keep the doors open. The manufacturing extension program, MEP, is an 
important resource that helps small manufacturers in Ohio and across 
the country to help improve efficiency, increase competitiveness and 
stay in business. Despite this success, the President is asking in his 
budget to eviscerate MEP.
  In 2003, when MEP was funded at $111 million, Ohio, although only 
receiving

[[Page H1004]]

a small fraction of that funding, that modest investment produced 
impressive results. MEP helped more than 2,700 Ohio businesses to 
create or retain more than 1,100 jobs, increase sales by $20 million, 
cut costs by $47 million, increase investments by $58 million. That is 
exactly the sort of helping hand Ohio and the Nation's small 
manufacturers need.
  Then the President proposed an MEP funding cut of 88 percent, ended 
up signing a law a couple of years ago that cut it almost that much. 
Not surprisingly, services to Ohio businesses dropped significantly. 
This year, the President's budget request asked for a funding cut of 
another 50 percent. Less than $1 million per State will be left for 
MEP. We should be supporting a funding level five times that amount 
because it would mean more tax revenue, more jobs, more success for 
U.S. manufacturers.
  Ohio's Republican governors urge the President to change his position 
on MEP. Working men and women from my State and across the Nation 
understand that our economic future is at stake. We should pass a bill 
this week ensuring increased MEP funds over the President's request, 
but this body probably will not do it.
  To support our Nation's manufacturing, we should pass a bill to stop 
China from manipulating its currency by artificially pegging it below 
the dollar. China starts outs with a 40 percent advantage over American 
manufacturers by this illegal act, not to mention having no minimum 
wage and forced labor camps and child labor and all the other 
advantages, artificial advantages if you will, in a free marketplace 
that China has. But I do not think that legislation to deal with 
currency manipulating will be on the House floor this week.
  To support our Nation's manufacturers, we should pass such a bill 
making sure China plays fair and meets its World Trade Organization 
obligations, but I do not see a bill on the floor this week to do that.
  To support our Nation's manufacturing, we should pass the bill of the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the Foreign Debt Ceiling Act of 
2005, that would create an emergency trade review group at the U.S. 
Trade Representative's Office to develop a plan of action if the trade 
deficit is above 5 percent of U.S. GDP or if foreign debt climbs above 
25 percent of GDP. But that is not being considered this week either.
  The manufacturing industry is the backbone of our country. This 
industry, these workers, these communities built America. And when 
these industries suffer, our communities suffer, our families suffer, 
our schools suffer, our Nation is hurt. Yet many in Congress continue 
to support measures that move these jobs overseas. Let us be clear 
about whom we should support.
  Congratulate manufacturers, is what the resolution on the floor will 
do and nothing else this week, who have remained in the U.S. and 
refrained from sending manufacturing jobs overseas. But it is not just 
about keeping our middle class strong; we should be concerned about 
national security. Without a strong manufacturing base, there can be no 
strong reliable national security in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that we, finally, in this Congress adopt a 
manufacturing policy.

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