Russ Feingold: “I am resubmitting a measure to help begin to address one of the central problems our Nation faces, namely the loss of…”

“I am resubmitting a measure to help begin to address one of the central problems our Nation faces, namely the loss of family-supporting jobs because of our flawed trade policies. Florence, WI is a town in the far northeastern corner of my home State. It is just a few miles from the border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Like most Americans, the residents of Florence are probably too busy with their own lives to pay close attention to the trade policies of our Nation. But a few weeks ago, a hundred families in that small community got a sharp introduction to the realities of those policies. Pride Manufacturing, the world's largest maker of golf tees, announced that it would be closing down its plant in Florence, and moving that operation and the hundred or so jobs that go with it to China. That announcement probably wasn't noticed by many people outside of my home State--one company in one small community in the far northeastern corner of Wisconsin leaving for China doesn't raise many eyebrows in Washington or Wall Street. But it is a serious matter for the families whose livelihood is directly affected by the move. And it will certainly have an impact on the community in which they live.”