On the recordJuly 19, 2017
I thank the ranking member and spokesman for the other side. Before I give my remarks, I don't think this is an either/or proposition, Mr. Speaker. Some of the things that my friend from Alaska just talked about make sense. There is nothing more essential than life. But this is a bill that has been put in with other bills as well. So I rise in opposition to the rule, Mr. Speaker. This week, the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade held our first hearing of the year, which was on NAFTA. You would think, from the President's rhetoric on trade, that many on the other side in Congress would be focused on creating good-paying, middle-class jobs and boosting our manufacturing base. You would think that. But, instead, we are here debating a bill, a number of bills, that are an assault on private property rights and the environment in the name of corporate profit and expediency. Lo, what happened in 1923 that led to a change in our Tax Code when we tried to privatize public property and public resources. It was the biggest scandal of the 20th century. Where are the jobs that were supposed to be coming back from overseas under this administration? Where are the higher middle class wages? Where are the policies coming from this Congress that support workers and their families? The majority of Americans, Mr. Speaker, agree that keeping United States jobs from moving overseas should be a top priority.…
