[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 176 (Tuesday, October 31, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8287-H8288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SUPPORT NAFTA RENEGOTIATION

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, smart dealmakers don't divulge their 
tactics. Yet, according to a report from Inside Trade, President Trump 
told a group of

[[Page H8288]]

Senators that his so-called threats to withdraw from NAFTA are just a 
negotiating tactic. Mr. Speaker, workers in Ohio will tell President 
Trump that too much is at stake in NAFTA renegotiations to be playing 
games and telegraphing empty threats.
  I hope that the President's focus is on balancing our ballooning 
NAFTA trade deficit with Mexico and Canada, which just accumulates more 
red ink at astronomical levels of outsourced jobs. We need an agreement 
that stops job outsourcing, an agreement that creates a level playing 
field for workers and businesses alike. It should give farmers and 
laborers on this continent equal status and a living wage.
  Among other protections for workers, I have called for a tri-party 
labor secretariat that will represent workers in all three NAFTA 
nations. NAFTA must address fair labor standards and robust enforcement 
of rules, including for agricultural labor, the largest segment of our 
tri-national workforce.
  NAFTA renegotiation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a 
continental compact to boost fair opportunity across North America. 
Let's not indulge in phony boardroom brinksmanship. Let's come together 
and put our communities and workers first.

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