[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 24, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H4555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MARCH DEFICIT AND BALANCING TRADE

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, President Trump recently told The Economist 
that he is ``absolutely a free-trader.'' Ohioans would be the first to 
tell you that free trade and fair trade do not mean the same thing.
  Our trade deficit ballooned to $43.7 billion in March of this year--
more red ink and more lost jobs. That skewed gap is even more 
pronounced with NAFTA nations, where we have a huge negative imbalance, 
totaling over $16 billion with Mexico and nearly $7 billion with 
Canada. That yields over 115,000 more forfeited jobs in our country.
  Yes, trade deficits translate into lost jobs and lower wages for our 
workers like steelworkers that have been battered in Lorain, Ohio. We 
must stop these trade practices that snuff out our jobs and hurt our 
communities.
  That is why tomorrow I will be reintroducing the Balancing Trade Act. 
This bill requires an actual U.S. policy that takes the trade deficit 
seriously. It provides real achievable steps to balance our trade 
deficits with countries with which we hold a deficit of over $10 
billion for three consecutive years.
  I urge President Trump to support this measure as a reasonable step 
forward. Let us help heal heartland communities, many of which elected 
him. Let us seek trade solutions that lift up our people and create new 
jobs on all sides of North America's borders, but starting here in the 
good old USA.

                          ____________________