[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 170 (Tuesday, December 3, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN SUPPORT OF PASSAGE OF THE MISCELLANEOUS TARIFF BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2013

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our 
nation's manufacturers, workers, and consumers, and urge the House to 
bring the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) to a vote immediately.
  The MTB is critical for the competitiveness of American 
manufacturers. The savings from the MTB goes to support manufacturing 
jobs, allows for reinvestment in capital expenditures and research and 
development, and decreases the costs of manufacturing in the United 
States by providing tariff reductions on inputs that are not available 
domestically.
  For a small to medium sized manufacturer, this savings can mean one 
to two manufacturing jobs.
  The last MTB expired at the end of 2012, resulting in higher costs 
for manufacturers and harming job growth. The National Association of 
Manufacturers (NAM) has found that the expiration of the MTB will 
result in a $748 million tax on manufacturing in the United States and 
economic losses amounting to $1.86 billion over the next three years.
  The same study estimated that passage of the MTB in 2010 supported 
90,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States and increased our GDP by 
$3.5 billion.
  An MTB tariff suspension is not, as some have suggested, an earmark.
  The process is transparent and bipartisan, with an intensive and 
transparent vetting process involving Congress, the USITC and other 
federal agencies, and industry. Any company that imports a product on 
which the duties have been suspended or reduced can benefit, regardless 
of location in the United States.
  Duty suspensions help reduce costs to the entire supply chain from 
the manufacturer to the customer.
  At a time when the American people are tired and frustrated with the 
lack of progress coming from their elected representatives in Congress, 
the MTB offers this chamber an opportunity to passage legislation that 
has wide bipartisan support and will increase competitiveness, create 
jobs, and lower prices for consumers.
  This is a clear win-win for the American people and I urge the House 
to take up the MTB before the end of the calendar year.

                          ____________________