[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 102 (Thursday, June 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESS MUST ACT TO HELP SHRIMPERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 2008

  Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, the American shrimp industry is a textbook 
example of a great American business crippled by foolish government 
policies. Congress and the federal bureaucracy have burdened shirmpers 
with needless regulations and laws that dramatically raise shrimpers' 
cost of doing business while subsidizing American shrimpers' overseas 
competitors. Unless Congress soon reverses course and repeals these 
destructive government policies, many shrimpers will be forced out of 
business.
  Congress's refusal to take any constructive action to address 
skyrocketing fuel costs has, in particular, hurt shrimpers. Some 
shrimpers are so desperate to lower their fuel costs that they are 
going to Mexico in search of affordable fuel. Think about this, Madam 
Speaker it is cheaper for shrimpers to travel to Mexico to buy gas than 
to obtain gas in the USA. Yet, Congress still refuses to take 
reasonable actions, such as expanding offshore drilling or repealing 
federal laws that delay the production of refineries, to expand oil 
supply and thus reduce the price of fuel.
  The federal government has also imposed numerous regulations on 
shrimpers dealing with use of items such as bycatch reduction devices 
and turtle excluder devices (TEDS). Madam Speaker, it is common to 
speak of the negative effects of regulations as ``unintended 
consequences.'' However, it is difficult to speak of the effects of the 
TEDS on shrimpers as unintended consequences when the National Marine 
Fisheries Service heard industry representatives and representatives of 
communities whose economies rely on a thriving shrimping industry 
present first-hand testimony on how these TEDS regulations would harm 
shrimpers.
  The problems shrimpers face are compounded by foreign competitors who 
are taking advantage of the government-created vulnerabilities in the 
American shrimp industry. Adding insult to injury, the federal 
government is forcing American shrimpers to subsidize their competitors 
through international agencies such as the Overseas Private Investment 
Corporation, the Export-Import Bank, and the International Monetary 
Fund! In fact, United States taxpayers have provided over 
$16,500,000,000 to the home countries of the leading foreign 
competitors of American shrimpers since 1999.
  In order to stop the federal government from punishing shrimpers with 
unfair regulations and forcing them to subsidize their major 
competitors, I introduced the Shrimp Importation Financing Fairness 
Act. This legislation would place a moratorium on any restrictive 
regulations negatively impacting the shrimp industry and prevent any 
taxpayer money from going to any country that exported more than 20 
million pounds of shrimp to the Untied States in the previous six 
months. However, Congress chose not to even take these simple steps to 
help the American shrimp industry.
  Of course, American shrimpers, like all American businesses that 
compete in the global marketplace, also suffers from the weak U.S. 
dollar. Congress's fiscal irresponsibility is a major cause of the 
weakening U.S. dollar.
  Madam Speaker, it is still not too late or Congress to help the 
shrimp industry. Congress should immediately end subsidies to American 
shrimpers' foreign competitors, place a moratorium on harmful 
regulations imposed on the shrimp industry, and take action to reduce 
fuel prices by expanding the supply of oil. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in working to fix the misguided government policies that are 
harming America shrimpers.

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