[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 692]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, tonight's State of the Union Address is a 
unique opportunity for the President to speak directly to the American 
people and offer his course for the country. The President is promoting 
trade as part of his agenda and I commend him for highlighting global 
competitiveness as an economic imperative. With the upcoming debate on 
the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the President has an opportunity 
to speak candidly with the American people about the benefits and 
challenges posed by trade. Doing this supports the case that the United 
States needs new policies to rise to the challenges of a global 
economy.
  In order to avoid a divisive, ugly fight over trade, I would like to 
hear the President say in his speech that he will seek to establish a 
new compact between workers, business, and government about how to 
increase our competitiveness in the global economy. It is important to 
try to reach this consensus before Congress is asked to consider the 
controversial free-trade agreements, FTAs, reached with Korea, 
Colombia, and Panama.
  The President has already begun down this path by ramping up efforts 
to combat unfair trade practices and establishing the National Export 
Initiative with the goal of doubling exports over the next 5 years. 
These are both important strategies. In approaching the pending FTAs, 
it is vital that he talk about more than just exports; he must also 
highlight the value of imports, two-way trade, and the global supply 
chain. This can only be done through candid conversation, one the 
Nation richly deserves. If our debate draws only from the same talking 
points that both sides have been using for the last 20 years, the truth 
will be sidelined as proponents oversell the potential merits of the 
agreements and opponents oversell the potential pitfalls. That would be 
a disservice to the country and represent a profound missed opportunity 
for the President.
  Take the pending trade agreement with Korea as an example. This is 
the most economically meaningful FTA since NAFTA. To help understand 
the impact of this agreement, I sought the help of the staff of the 
independent International Trade Commission, ITC. In 2007, the ITC found 
that the agreement would have a limited impact on job creation, partly 
because of the assumptions the ITC made in its analysis. Because the 
economic landscape in 2010 is profoundly different than it was in 2007, 
I asked staff of the ITC to provide an updated assessment of the 
agreement using conditions that reflect today's economic reality. Based 
on these updated results, the FTA has the potential to create about 
280,000 new American jobs and boost U.S. economic output by $27 billion 
each year.
  At the same time, these projections show that thousands of Americans 
currently employed in manufacturing could lose their jobs. Neither the 
President nor Congress can ignore these families, and it is our job to 
enlarge what I call the Winners' Circle to ensure that trade is a 
benefit to Americans in all our communities.
  When American firms and their workers are as competitive as they can 
be, they can better tap foreign markets opened by trade agreements to 
spur the domestic economy and produce more good-paying jobs here at 
home. The Department of Labor's chief economist recently testified that 
jobs related to international trade typically pay more and offer better 
benefits. However, when I talk with leading CEOs and labor economists, 
I hear the same concern: If we want our economy to grow at its full 
potential, we need more workers with the tools to compete.
  In tonight's speech I would like to hear the President talk about 
proposals that will guarantee workers' career-long, affordable access 
to continuing education and skills upgrading so that businesses always 
have the most productive and trained workforce they need. We expand the 
Winners' Circle by making it easier for workers to move from one job or 
career to the next and by making America the most attractive place to 
work and live for anyone who has the skills, the brains, and the 
ambition to succeed. Making it easier for companies with obsolete 
technology to retool to meet 21st-century global competition further 
expands the Winner's Circle. This means a tax system that rewards the 
global growth of American firms while fostering investment in 
production and employment here at home.
  In the coming months, President Obama has an opportunity to forge a 
new, bipartisan consensus about trade and increasing foreign 
competitiveness. If he succeeds at this, not only does he succeed in 
passing these trade agreements but, far more importantly, he equips 
Americas workers and businesses to drive the economy forward.

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