Addressing the Trade Deficit

Floor Speech

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the Obama administration appears to be negotiating the latest job-killing trade deal, as happened under the prior two Bush administrations and the Clinton administration with NAFTA.

Our Nation can't employ the nearly 20 million unemployed and underemployed citizens without addressing what is happening to growing imports and lessening exports.

Here is a bumper sticker: Out of a Job Yet? Keep Buying Foreign.

That was on a car in Michigan as we came back here today.

In 2013, America imported--get this--$369 billion in petroleum products alone, $309 billion in automotive vehicles, and $533 billion in consumer goods, which are not completely offset by exports. We are exporting jobs and importing products from other places.

Think of the jobs we could create here if we could really live the slogan, ``Made in America.''

For every $1 billion in goods exported, our economy creates 5,000 jobs; but for every $1 billion in goods imported, we lose 9,000 jobs. That is why we have been in the hole for the last 25 years.

Our middle class is shrinking. People are struggling out there. They can't make ends meet. We have a budget deficit because we have a trade deficit. America doesn't need any more job-killing trade deals.

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