John Spratt: “I come from textile country, and I have seen the effects of imports upon jobs in the area where I live, $77 billion…”

“I come from textile country, and I have seen the effects of imports upon jobs in the area where I live, $77 billion trade deficit in textiles and apparel last year. Over the last 10 years, we have lost about a million jobs in textile and apparel, and I can tell my colleagues, from my own district, my own State, from the Carolinas to the southeast, only a minute percentage of these people who have lost their jobs have been able to get trade adjustment assistance benefits. That is a hard truth. We have heard these benefits extolled here on the floor, but in truth, very, very few people qualify for them. It is shameful how little we do for the people we know are going to be hurt by the trade policies that we adopt, and anybody who thinks that this is going to make it easier to vote for fast track, easier to vote for trade promotion authority, they better think again, because this bill is a pittance. This bill will do very little. It does nothing to expand the eligibility of these people we know are going to be direct hits.”