Peter Deutsch: “the agreement that is really before us, the OECD agreement, is an agreement which I think all of us would argue, at…”

“the agreement that is really before us, the OECD agreement, is an agreement which I think all of us would argue, at least the concept of the agreement, will greatly benefit the United States of America. It would end the subsidies that other countries have been doing for years, the dumping that other countries have done for years to adversely affect the American shipbuilding industry. All we need to do is look at the facts on the ground in this country today, or the facts in the shipyards. Those facts are that the United States right now does not sell very many ships in terms of the world market, an infinitesimal percentage of those ships in the world market, because of the type of system that exists today and that this agreement is trying to end. Now in front of us, the Bateman amendment says, well, this agreement is going to adversely affect the defense of the United States of America, our national security. That is why we need the Bateman amendment. I would reiterate what actually has been pointed out by the chairman of the subcommittee previously, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane], that the Defense Department, the Joint Chiefs, have obviously gone through this agreement, have sent correspondence to the chairman of the committee the gentleman from South Carolina, [Mr. Spence] specifically, categorically stating that there would be no adverse effect.”