[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3948]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               OPPOSE THE U.S.-KOREA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the proposed South Korea trade deal is the 
largest NAFTA-style trade agreement proposed in 15 years. Some people 
in Washington, including President Obama, support this agreement. 
Congress should not. Most importantly, this ``NAFTA''-Korea deal will 
result in more job loss across countless communities in our country.
  The U.S. International Trade Commission studied this agreement and 
determined that it will be a net job loser for our country, just like 
the NAFTA deal was, just like the China deal was, just like all the 
failed nonreciprocal trade deals our Nation has negotiated over the 
last 25 years. Yes, a handful of companies will come out ahead, and 
they have a lot of power in Washington, but, as a whole, our country 
loses.
  We have heard a lot about deficits lately. This deal with the Koreans 
will only put us deeper in the hole. Why would Congress do this again 
to the American people and to the American economy? Last year, the 
United States ran up another half-trillion-dollar trade deficit with 
the world, and this past quarter, one of the largest in history. Both 
American and Korean estimates predict that this deal will only add to 
our deficit.
  These NAFTA-type trade deals translate into net job loss. Even the 
President doesn't claim that the deal will create new jobs. That is 
because it won't. In fact, it will cost jobs.
  America needs trade reciprocity. We need balance, at a minimum, where 
our exports balance our imports and more hopefully exceed our imports. 
We need to make goods in America again, not outsource more jobs. It is 
obvious to everyone we have a job crisis in America. Across our 
economy, the real rate of unemployment and underemployment is over 17 
percent.
  This agreement, again, will negatively impact employment. In my 
district alone, the agreement threatens thousands of jobs. Why would 
America do this again to our people? More outsourcing, more job loss.
  My district is at the center of the automotive sector, and our 
companies supply manufacturers from Alabama to Detroit to New Jersey to 
California. This deal is bad for the entire U.S. automotive sector, 
yes, the entire automotive sector.
  In December, the administration negotiated with the Korean government 
a supplemental agreement on the automotive sector, and this side deal 
was supposed to ensure fairness for our auto companies. But it simply 
leaves too many unresolved concerns still on the table. And it doesn't 
provide reciprocity. There is no threshold measure that if we take half 
a million Korean cars, which we already do, and they only take 6,000 of 
ours, which is what is going on right now, that they have any 
requirement at all to actually increase imports. We ought to fix what 
is wrong with the existing system, rather than trade away more of our 
economic substance.
  There is also a strange logic that we somehow level the playing field 
by allowing the South Korean government to subject our cars to 
additional regulations within 4 years. And importantly, there is no 
threshold measure that we actually are balancing the huge trade deficit 
we already have with that nation.

                              {time}  1030

  There's another loophole. The cars don't really have to be made in 
South Korea. Nearly two-thirds of the actual content can come from, 
guess where? Communist China and other countries that are relentlessly 
engaged in predatory and illegal trading practices is not a 
prescription for liberty.
  The automotive sector isn't the only industry that is at risk. 
Multiple sectors will be impacted, including textiles, electronics, and 
metal products. And that's just in manufacturing. Beef producers better 
pay attention because they're going to lose under this deal as well.
  I look forward to the day when this President, or any President, 
submits a trade agreement that will actually create new employment 
opportunities across our country. We surely need the jobs. Yes, trade 
can help fuel economic growth, but we need agreements that yield 
reciprocity and put America on a level trade playing field. NAFTA-
styled Korean free trade agreements simply don't meet that test. This 
deal is over 400 pages long--and that's without the annexes to the 
agreement. The American people should read it. And so should Congress.
  America needs jobs here at home, not more job outsourcing. And surely 
not more trade deficits. We need reciprocity, and it would be the first 
time in a quarter century. That should be our target, not more job loss 
in America.

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