Bill Pascrell: “this morning I would like to address something we started to talk about last evening, and that is the vote we will be…”

“this morning I would like to address something we started to talk about last evening, and that is the vote we will be taking probably tomorrow on China and our trade relations with China. The minority leader wrote a book last year, An Even Better Place, America in the 21st Century, where he dismissed as ludicrous the contention that expanded trade fosters democracy in China. "America has to stand for something more than money," the Minority Leader said, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. It seems to sum up what we have been saying, we opponents. We are not or do not wish to cut off relationships with China and the Chinese people. In fact, our argument is not with the Chinese people, our argument is with the authoritarian government which has tortured, which has beaten down any dissidents, any opposition. Strictly on the issue of security, the proponents of permanent trade relations with China, normal relationships, whatever we wish to call them, they have been talking first about the jobs that would be created, and then when they could not win that battle, they switched to the issue of national security. Three points. My main thrust is jobs this morning. We know that in these past 10 years, China has targeted up to 18 intercontinental ballistic missiles at the United States.”