[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H6028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NAFTA AND MADE IN AMERICA WEEK

  (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, I rise because President Trump has dubbed 
this week ``Made in America Week.'' But one can't pretend one's way to 
creating jobs in the United States, even if you are President.
  A key index that gives you a clue to the truth of job creation in the 
United States is the trade deficit: How many more products and services 
are country exports, rather than imports from offshore sweatshops?
  Well, for every month of the Trump administration--that is what the 
red line is--the jobs hole for America is growing deeper.
  You see here that the May 2017 deficit on this scorecard confirms the 
failing Trump trade record, with a $46 billion trade and jobs deficit 
for May alone--larger than last year, larger than every other month.
  The President spoke endlessly about trade during the campaign and 
promised turning NAFTA into a good deal for Americans. Without a doubt, 
working people of the Midwest put him in the Presidency because he 
promised to renegotiate NAFTA, that bad deal. Now it is his turn to 
live up to the bargain.
  There is an old expression, ``Don't tell me what he says, show me 
what he does.''
  Well, President Trump could start by onshoring all foreign goods he 
makes abroad--everything from ties, suits, bracelets, and so forth.
  I haven't seen any inclination to date by this President reshoring 
items so that he creates jobs again in this country. He contributes to 
a growing trade surplus, not a deficit.

                 [From the guardian.com, July 18, 2017]

   Trump's ``Made in America'' Week: the President's Hypocrisy Is on 
                                Display

                           (By Adam Gabbatt)

       The White House celebrates US-manufactured products this 
     week, even though Trump's vodka, menswear and even board 
     games have been made overseas.
       Donald Trump has declared this week ``Made in America'' 
     week. According to the White House, it's an opportunity for 
     the president to showcase ``products that are made in 
     America''.
       Unfortunately for Trump, that description would rule out 
     many of the products he and members of his family have made 
     and sold. From Donald J Trump Collection clothing to Trump 
     Vodka to Trump: the Game, the president has a track record of 
     not making things in America.
       The week was scheduled to kick off at the White House on 
     Monday, with Trump walking around some tables looking at 
     products made in all 50 states. So in honour of the 
     president's communist-dictator-esque photo opportunity, 
     here's a look at some not-made-in-America Trump gear.


                                Alcohol

       Trump Vodka (``The finish is disappointingly harsh''--
     InternetWines.com) was an ill-fated attempt by Trump to 
     branch into the spirits world. The vodka (``No discernable 
     flavor''--Chicagoist) was manufactured in the Netherlands by 
     a company called Wanders Distillery and launched in the US in 
     2006.
       But the beverage (``My taste buds unfortunately associate 
     the flavor with the smell of paint''--VodkaBuzz) failed to 
     sell. The trademark was abandoned in 2008, according to 
     Rolling Stone. By 2011, Trump Vodka was ``out of 
     circulation''.
       ``We don't need Chinese products,'' Trump told Fox News in 
     2010. ``The stuff that's been sent over from China is--it 
     falls apart after a year and a half. It's crap.''
       It was an odd thing to say for a self-described master 
     businessman offering to the American public many menswear 
     products--featured in the Donald J Trump Signature 
     Collection--that were made in China.
       Donald J Trump eyeglasses were made in China. Donald 
     Trump's ties were made in China. Some of the Donald J Trump 
     suits were made in China.
       To be fair, Trump is an equal opportunity overseas 
     manufacturer. His dress shirts have been manufactured in 
     Bangladesh, Honduras and Vietnam. And China.
       It turned out Trump was right about people not needing 
     Chinese products. In 2015, the Donald I Trump Signature 
     Collection was jettisoned by Macy's. His famous red hats, 
     meanwhile, actually are made in the US. It's the unofficial 
     ones that aren't.


                               Education

       Trump University (``A fraud from beginning to end''--New 
     York attorney general Eric Schneiderman) was a US business.
       But the university, which was not actually an accredited 
     university, encouraged students to outsource jobs overseas.
       ``We hear terrible things about outsourcing jobs--how 
     sending work outside of our companies is contributing to the 
     demise of American businesses,'' Trump wrote on the Trump 
     University blog in 2005. ``But in this instance I have to 
     take the unpopular stance that it is not always a terrible 
     thing.''
       In November 2016, Trump settled three fraud lawsuits 
     relating to the university for $25m.


                                Homeware

       ``Several Trump Home items are listed as made in China or 
     imported from China the Washington Post reported in 2016.
       According to the Post, foreign-made items in Trump's 
     furniture collection include mirrors, ceramic vases, wall 
     decorations, kitchen items and lighting fixtures. They were 
     all made in China. Some Trump Home picture frames were 
     manufactured in India.
       Earlier this year, Peter York, who wrote a 2006 book about 
     the homes of autocrats, including Saddam Hussein and Nicolae 
     Ceausescu, wrote about the similarities between their tastes 
     and Trump's interior decor preferences.
       ``The best aesthetic descriptor of Trump's look, I'd argue, 
     is dictator style,'' York said.


                              Board games

       Trump: the Game (``I loathed every miserable second of 
     it''--Ars Technica) was launched in 1989, then pushed out 
     again in 2004 after Trump became host of The Apprentice.
       The game (``Bizarre''--Business Insider) was manufactured 
     in the US by Milton Bradley Company. But the dice, according 
     to this photo of the Trump: the Game packaging, were made in 
     China.
       It is difficult to tell if the dice were ``crap'' and fell 
     apart after a year and a half, because Trump: the Game sold 
     poorly. In 2011, Time magazine listed the game as one of 
     Trump's top 10 business failures.


                         Ivanka Trump clothing

       It's not just Donald Trump who has a track record of 
     overseas manufacturing. In December, the New York Times, 
     citing two trade databases, reported that ``almost all'' of 
     Ivanka Trump's clothing line is made overseas.
       In May, New York-based activists were arrested in China 
     while investigating the making of Ivanka Trump shoes. In 
     July, the Washington Post traced Ivanka Trump products to 
     Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
       More than 20 stores have dropped Ivanka Trump's products 
     since her father started his run for president.

     

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