Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. GOMEZ. I am opposed in its current form.

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Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee.

If adopted, the bill would immediately proceed to final passage as amended.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump claims his trade policy is meant to level the playing field for the United States, but workers and businesses in other parts of the economy will suffer unintended consequences.

Despite his claims to pursue a trade agenda that will put American workers first, this administration's trade policy shows a lack of strategy and planning that risks putting working families last and threatens our economy.

Any trade agenda must fix the problems with existing policy rather than making matters worse. Escalating tariffs and alienating our closest trading partners does nothing to advance a trade agenda that puts working families first.

Our trade policy should prioritize strong environmental protections, penalize cheaters, enforce labor protections for workers, and strengthen rules of origin so we can advance a trade agenda that is fair to every American worker instead of picking winners and losers.

But President Trump isn't known for his discretion or his deep knowledge of policy. He doesn't realize or doesn't care that his America First trade agenda puts America last by undermining our competitiveness and innovation. The idea of unintended consequences didn't even cross his mind when announcing these unilateral tariffs.

But as Members of Congress representing constituents from around the country, we know that there are very real consequences for these actions.

That is why I am offering this motion to recommit, which would allow a Governor or elected official or appointed official to request that the Secretary of Commerce declare a fishery disaster if fishermen suffer negative impacts from these tariffs.

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act restored dozens of fishery stocks to healthy levels, and we cannot allow the ill-conceived or half-baked ideas of the President to hurt the workers or the progress we have actually made.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the motion to recommit, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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