Russ Feingold: “I believe those provisions would be enforceable. We already have a mechanism where an import's country of origin must be…”

“I believe those provisions would be enforceable. We already have a mechanism where an import's country of origin must be verified. The consent must also be verified. I suggest we use the same mechanisms in place to certify African value content. In fact, it was indicated under GSP that it is a 35-percent requirement and under this bill is a 20-percent requirement. The question doesn't seem to be whether we can enforce it or identify it; the question seems to be, What should the percentage be? In response to the broader point that somehow this is going to be unfair to the countries of Africa, it is just the opposite. What we are trying to avoid with this amendment is, in effect, the exploitation of African countries as a way for other countries to get away with something they can do right now very easily; for example, the Chinese willingness here to use transshipment through African companies to undercut American jobs. All we are trying to do is have a reasonable assurance, in two ways, that Africans are actually having a chance to do the work and they are actually contributing to the product. A 60-percent requirement is not 100 percent, it is a reasonable level. It still leaves room for joint activities with other entities. And a 90-percent requirement is not restricted, as the chairman has suggested, to one country, but 90 percent have to be African citizens of any one of the over 50 African countries.”