John A. Boccieri: “The American people are watching. While we may wear different jerseys, we are supposed to be playing for America, and…”

“The American people are watching. While we may wear different jerseys, we are supposed to be playing for America, and this vote today is about whether we are going to stand up and fight for Americans. Just last week, the Chinese Government ordered all our domestic manufacturers who are building cars in China to turn over all their battery technology. Ohio, who has 25 percent of her economy based on the automotive industry, cannot afford to stand on the sidelines as countries like China refuse to play by the rules. Critics believe that this legislation could start a trade war. America is already in a trade war, and the question is whether the U.S. Government is going to show up for the fight. And forcing the agreed-upon trade rules is not protectionist. In fact, the Chinese practices like currency manipulation and illegal subsidies are protectionist. In 2005 Ohio lost more than 183,000 manufacturing jobs because of bad trade deals. I say that you can't afford to buy tennis shoes if you don't have a job. And that is what this bill is about. In the past 2 years alone, workers from nine local companies in my district received trade adjustment assistance as a result of bad trade deals. We respect the Chinese culture, their people, and their workers, but we are playing for America. We have got to build it; we have got to assemble it, and we have got to manufacture it here in our country.”