Political Quotes

“I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). Ms. DeLAURO. I rise to voice my strong opposition to this trade agenda with South Korea. Like the two other NAFTA-style trade agreements before us, we know this deal will lead to the outsourcing of American jobs, potentially displacing 159,000 U.S. workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute. It will provide Chinese businesses engaged in the transshipment of goods through third countries an easy opportunity to take advantage of tariff rates that are intended for South Korean goods. According to the Korea Customs Service, the quantity of products illegally labeled ``Made in Korea'' doubled from 2008 to 2010. These transshipped products come primarily from China and southeast Asian nations. Chinese companies have a history of transshipping goods to the U.S. through other countries so that they can avoid duties that are levied against them for illegal trading practices. Korea's proximity and 16 ports, including the world's fifth-largest, makes them a usual target for Chinese companies. Investigations by U.S. Customs in recent years have resulted in indictments and convictions for a variety of duty evasion schemes that hurt America, including cases concerning steel, wire garment hangers, and honey from China. There are no provisions in this agreement to guard against a potential flood of Chinese products shipped through Korea.…”