[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 18952-18953]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRADE IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD: J-O-B-S

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, where I come from, trade is a four-
letter word, J-O-B-S. But this Congress and this President just do not 
spell very well. The last 2\1/2\ years since President Bush took office 
this country has lost 3 million jobs, more than any President since 
Herbert Hoover. We have lost 2 million manufacturing jobs, mostly which 
have gone overseas; we have a trade deficit of $450 billion. The trade 
deficit last month was greater than the trade deficit for the entire 
year 10 years ago. The trade deficit is 10 times last year what it was 
a decade-plus ago. We are hemorrhaging jobs with every billion dollars 
of trade deficit, now up to $450 billion. We continue to hemorrhage 
jobs.
  President Bush's answer to this 3 million jobs lost, 2 million 
manufacturing jobs lost, President Bush's answer is more trade 
agreements.
  Congress this week will vote on two trade agreements, one with 
Singapore and one with Chile. Congress's vote this week will be on 
these two trade agreements, which are frankly more of the same, more 
NAFTA, more hemorrhaging of jobs, more weakening of environmental and 
food safety laws, and all of the values we in this country hold dear.
  Most of all, these trade agreements with Chile and Singapore are all 
about jobs. When we look at what has happened with NAFTA in the last 10 
years since NAFTA passed this Chamber in November 1993, in these 10 
years we have seen a trade surplus with Mexico turn into a huge trade 
deficit. We have seen job gains with Mexico and Canada turn into huge 
job losses. We have seen since Congress has passed Permanent Normal 
Trade Relations with China and Most-favored Nation status temporary 
renewals every year the last dozen years. We have seen our trade 
deficit with China go from $100 million in 1990, to $100 billion in 
2002.
  Every billion dollars, according to President Bush, Sr., meant a loss 
of 18,000 jobs. So with a trade deficit of $450 billion, all we have to 
do is do the math to understand why the job picture in this country is 
so bleak and with passing Chile and Singapore trade agreements and the 
rest of the President's trade agenda, Central America free trade 
agreement, Free Trade Act to the Americas to extend NAFTA to the whole 
hemisphere, we understand why the job picture in the future is even 
bleaker.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 days ago on Sunday I spoke to a rally of Goodyear 
workers in Akron, Ohio. There are 14 Goodyear plants scattered across 
the United States. There were rallies held by the Steel Workers, 
formerly the Rubber Workers, at each of these 14 plants

[[Page 18953]]

across this great country. Everyone that came up to me before, during, 
and after the rally talked about job loss, talked about their anxiety, 
economic insecurity and kept asking why does President Bush want a 
trade agreement with Singapore, why does President Bush want a trade 
agreement with Chile, why does President Bush want to extend NAFTA to 
Central America and why does President Bush want to extend NAFTA to all 
of Latin America.
  Those workers understand that trade is a four-letter word, and it is 
spelled J-O-B-S. They spell better than President Bush and the 
leadership in this Congress because they understand that these trade 
policies with Chile, with Singapore, with a Central America free trade 
agreement, with the Free Trade Act with the Americas, these trade 
agreements, in addition to weakening our environmental standards, in 
addition to undercutting labor standards, in addition to weakening food 
safety standards, in addition to undercutting what we hold dear in this 
country, they understand these trade agreements more than anything else 
are about jobs. They are about the loss of jobs, about the hemorrhaging 
of jobs, about jobs going overseas year after year after year; and they 
are not coming back unless we change our trade policy.

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