Appointment of Conferees on H.R. 4520, American Jobs Creation Act of 2004

APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 4520, AMERICAN JOBS CREATION ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - September 29, 2004)

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4520) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to remove impediments in such Code and make our manufacturing, service, and high-technology businesses and workers more competitive and productive both at home and abroad, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this motion. It provides all American business enterprises, large and small, with an across-the-board rate reduction from income derived from work done here in the United States. To pay for it, it would curtail tax incentives that would encourage companies to move operations offshore.

With 2.5 million manufacturing jobs lost in the last 3 years, including nearly 40,000 in my State of Connecticut alone, many outsourced to other countries like China and Singapore, we all understand that steps must be taken to revive what is the very backbone of America's economy.

Let me just talk about what the business model of the Bush administration and the Republican leadership is, because government, in fact, is not in the business of creating jobs; but government is about creating an environment in which jobs can be created.

The business model is as follows: assisting companies in sending the jobs offshore, technology offshore and, in many instances, allowing companies not to pay their fair share of their taxes to the United States Government, and then these companies can come around and get Federal contracts. That is the business model for this administration; and, quite frankly, it does not create jobs here in the United States.

But by clinging to the idea that we should be rewarding companies who send jobs overseas, this majority has delayed action on this issue for more than a year. As a result, many manufacturers are now paying 11 percent tariffs on 1,600 American-made products, tariffs that could be as high as 14 percent by the end of the year.

What manufacturers need from this body is not more incentives to send jobs abroad; they need bold vision, recognizing that our Federal Tax Code could work for them, not against them, and by favoring those companies who keep their jobs here. That is exactly what my colleague's motion would do. American companies should not have to resort to transferring jobs to countries where workers make less and have fewer benefits to stay competitive.

Americans understand outsourcing. It is eroding our workforce; it has threatened every middle-class family in this country. It ought to end with helping our manufacturers here at home become more productive, more innovative; and if we want to boost sales, investment in modernization and employment, the House should pass the Rangel motion.

As I said, the American public understands outsourcing. I believe they are going to outsource some folks on November 2, people who do not understand what it means to have their jobs gone, to leave, when we could be providing this country's manufacturers with the opportunity to be able to stay here, invest in our technology, invest in our workers, and promote economic development in the United States.

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