United States Trade Rights Enforcement Act
UNITED STATES TRADE RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT ACT -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2005)
BREAK IN TEXT
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from New York for yielding me this time.
Madam Speaker, this legislation in front of us today as it relates to China is about one thing and one thing only: providing political cover for those who are reluctant to embrace CAFTA. That is all this is about. It is about outing CAFTA. The majority realizes if they simply put CAFTA on the floor, they do not have even the muscle in this instance to put this legislation through. So what are we doing instead? We are offering a veneer to the American people, a ruse, as it relates to the problems we are having with our trade practices in China.
Is there anybody who believes that this is about to alter our trading practices with China? We all know it is badly out of balance. And this legislation makes the problem worse.
Currency manipulation in this legislation, no action. Dealing with Chinese trade barriers in this legislation, no action. We are going to monitor and study. I think that if they put a study in front of this House, we all ought to take a test on it in 2 years. Sit down and we will all pay attention to the test that they offer. Imagine in a serious issue like this, we are going to ask for studies.
Safeguards, no action. Subsidies, they create more loopholes than they address. On customs duties, they have a 3-year, but listen to this, temporary measure to deal with the issue.
This is a sloppy bill. It is going to do more harm than good. When it is over, the professors will have their jobs, the trade lawyers will have their jobs, the editorial writers across the country will have their jobs; but the men and women of organized labor who call this for what it is, they know that their jobs are at risk and they are opposed to this legislation. It guts trade laws, and it gives more power to WTO. It purports to help solve problems with customs enforcement. It makes them worse. It does not require China to make meaningful changes to its policy of currency manipulation. How much more emphasis can we put on that issue in this institution? We need to recalibrate our trading relationship with China. This will not do it, and everybody knows it. An emphasis on that term, recalibrate our trading relationship with China.
When we get done with this legislation today, and there is some question as to whether or not they can pass it, I am just going to close on this note. We have a highly regarded regular order in this institution of the responsibilities of the Committee on Ways and Means, the committee that many members of this institution desire to be on. You do not go around the committee the way this is being done. You go through the committee. You have hearings with a respected tradition in this House of Representatives for the Committee on Ways and Means. You do not do this through the back door.
BREAK IN TEXT
http://thomas.loc.gov