[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 7 (Thursday, January 17, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                       ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the workers at 
NewPage Corporation in Rumford, Maine, and Fraser Timber Limited in 
Ashland, Maine. These workers received some devastating news this week 
about job losses and layoffs. Fraser Timber Limited will lay off 70 
workers on February 8, 2008 to June 1, 2008. NewPage Corporation 
announced a shutdown of a paper machine in Rumford as of February 25, 
2008. This decision could impact approximately 60 to 70 jobs in Maine.
  In Maine, we are all too familiar with an economic and trade policy 
that has devastated our manufacturing sector. As a mill worker for 
nearly 30 years at Great Northern Paper Company, I know how devastating 
this news is for these workers and their families. When this happens in 
small rural communities in Maine, it ripples through the economy and 
throughout the region.
  When the House considers a potential economic stimulus package in the 
next few weeks, I'll keep the workers of NewPage and Fraser at the 
forefront of my mind. Any economic stimulus package the House considers 
must consider what's good for our workers and their industry. We must 
get back to fiscal discipline, yet provide the relief so many people in 
Maine need.
  But if we are truly trying to reform our economy, we must also 
address the serious trade imbalance that's creating this job loss. It's 
no secret that trade has gotten the better of Maine's manufacturing 
industry. Since passage of NAFTA, Maine has lost 23 percent of our 
manufacturing base.
  Today the USTR Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that moving 
forward on these trade agreements will actually help our economy. Well, 
I can tell you this, she obviously hasn't talked to the men and women 
of NewPage and Fraser. She hasn't talked to other workers in Maine and 
across this country that have been devastated by these NAFTA-style 
trade deals. These workers don't want more TAA. They want their jobs 
back.
  I've been in touch with the Maine Department of Labor Rapid Response 
Team, the workers at the mills, to discuss the implication of this, the 
paper machine shutting down on these workers. In the days and weeks 
ahead, my office will be working to provide whatever assistance is 
necessary to help these workers get back to work. But they want their 
jobs.
  Mainers have rallied for each other during difficult times in the 
past and will do so again. I'll continue to be involved in meeting the 
needs of our workers affected by this announcement, and I'll stay in 
close contact with plant officials and workers in the days ahead.
  But this Congress has to look at the fundamental problem with our 
flawed trade models and trade deals that we've been passing in this 
Congress. And this Congress is no different than the previous Congress. 
We continue to use the same flawed trade model, and that's going to 
continue to hurt workers and manufacturing businesses here in this 
country.
  This Congress has to wake up to what's actually happening out there. 
We will not need any economic stimulus package if we make sure that we 
pass fair trade deals that are good for our workers here, that are good 
for our businesses here in this country.

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