the party of individual responsibility is saying here that people should not be forced, even though we know they are going to get sick, they should not be forced, and they should be allowed to do whatever they want.
Jim McDermott
The Public Record
Jim McDermott is a former U.S. Representative from Washington, serving from 1989 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Washington's 7th congressional district. During his tenure, McDermott was known for his advocacy on healthcare issues, social justice, and economic equality. He played a significant role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and was a vocal critic of the Iraq War. McDermott also served on various committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, where he focused on tax policy and healthcare reform.
What is even more surprising is the undertone of the hearing that we should, that Members of Congress want the court to engage in a much more active second guessing of what Congress does.
All of a sudden in this Committee, and you have heard it from a number of different points of view, worry about the human rights issues in some of the countries we trade in.
We take this issue very seriously. We share the serious concerns of the Members of the Congress.
The use of Jackson-Vanik obviously had a point at some time in the past. Probably for the last 10 years it has been irrelevant.
I am not sure everybody on this Committee understands the Magnitsky case and why it is sitting there.
So you are talking about additions to Mr. Boustany's proposal in terms of tightening of the teeth?
We spent billions of dollars on it. And then they said, no, it isn't working.
It seems to me that if you are trying to work on risk that one of the best ways not to make a mistake is to not do anything, don't let anything come in.
We are working our way towards Customs reauthorization bills, so we are here today to understand the nature and the origin of the problems and to look for solutions.
Would you explain to me in terms that I can understand what it was that was attempted and what didn't work?
I want to thank the chairman for holding this meeting and thank our witnesses for coming today.





