Issue Position: Jobs and Trade

Issue Position

Issue Position: Jobs and Trade

I believe that America must insist that its trade agreements be enforced! I did not support and did not vote for trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA, the Preferred Trade Agreement with or the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the Guaranteed Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Recently, the government's failure to enforce its trade agreements adversely affected our paper workers in Escanaba, Michigan, and Niagara, Wisconsin (bordered by Iron Mountain, Michigan). Because of our hardwood supply, The First Congressional District is home to many paper mills and in particular the high gloss coated paper industry.

In October 2006, New Page, which owns coated paper mills in Escanaba, Michigan, and Niagara, Wisconsin (bordered by Iron Mountain, Michigan), filed an unfair trade practice against China, Korea, and Indonesia for "dumping" coated paper in the United States. Dumping, defined as selling a product for less than it costs to produce, is illegal. After New Page brought suit for its dumping claim, the US Department of Commerce investigated and agreed that they were indeed illegally dumping coated paper in the United States.

The US Department of Commerce assessed a counter prevailing tariff on coated paper from these countries for illegal dumping. These countries appealed the tariff for illegal dumping to the International Trade Commission (ITC). In the Fall of 2007, I was the only member of the U.S. House of Representatives to personally testify against lifting the tariffs for illegal dumping of coated paper.

The ITC ruled by a 5-1 vote (five members appointed by President Bush) to lift the tariff because it felt that the dumping of coated paper by did not adversely affect the coated paper industry here in the United States.

If the ITC truly believes that illegal dumping of coated paper does not adversely affect the economy, I challenge the ITC to explain to the more than 550 skilled paper workers who lost their good paying union jobs with benefits how illegal dumping does not have a negative affect on the economy. I wish the ITC would tell Niagara, a one mill town, how it is to keep its community intact with its largest employer put out of business because of illegal dumping!

Under our trade agreements, dumping is illegal period! Illegal is illegal, whether the action costs one job, 500 jobs, or 5,000 jobs. I pledge to continue to insist that this administration and the next enforce our trade agreements. I will not cast a single yes vote for those trade agreements that ship our American jobs overseas!

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