Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 -- Motion to Proceed -- Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, let me congratulate and applaud Senator Brown of Ohio for organizing this colloquy on trade. In my view, if we look at why the middle class of this country has been in decline for the last 40 years, why millions of Americans are working longer hours with lower wages, why we have seen a huge shift in the economy from a manufacturing economy where people earn good wages to a Walmart economy where people are working for very low wages and minimal benefits, one--not the only one, but one of the significant factors has been our disastrous trade policies for a number of decades.

If people are watching this discussion, there may be some people who will say, Trans-Pacific Partnership, what is that? What is that trade agreement? What are they talking about? One of the reasons they may ask that question is that a study came out recently which looked at how the major networks are covering the TPP--the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It turns out the major television networks are not covering the TPP. Incredible as it may sound, this trade agreement--the largest trade agreement in the history of the United States of America--has received virtually no coverage--no coverage--on the major networks. That, to me, is very amazing.

I think it was Albert Einstein who made the point that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is sometimes called insanity. If we think a new trade agreement, based on the same principles of the old trade agreements, is going to bring different results, I think we are very wrong.

I remember, because I have been in Congress for many of the major debates on trade, that way back when we had a discussion about unfettered free trade with China and the argument was, well, look at the huge market in China, look at all the jobs we will create in America selling to China. In fact, we were told that permanent normal trade relations with China would create hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Well, not quite. It turns out, as everybody who goes into a department store knows, most of the products we buy are made in China, and it turns out the permanent normal trade relations trade agreement with China has led to the loss of more than 3 million good-paying American jobs. The reason for that is obvious. Why is a major corporation going to pay an American worker $15, $20 an hour, provide decent benefits, and obey environmental laws when that corporation can shut down here, go to China, pay people very low wages, and bring their products back to America? That is why, when we go shopping, most of what we buy is made in China.

We were told that the North American Free Trade Agreement--NAFTA--would create at least 200,000 American jobs in just a few years. Well, not quite. It turns out that NAFTA has led to the loss of about 1 million American jobs.

We were told that the Korean Free Trade Agreement would increase American jobs. Well, it turns out that it has led to the loss of over 60,000 American jobs.

Since we signed NAFTA, the United States has a cumulative trade deficit of $8.8 trillion--$8.8 trillion. That is wealth that has left the United States and gone overseas.

While the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has not been made public, there have been some leaks of what is included in it, and what these leaks tell us is in fact very disturbing. I think it is obvious to anyone who has taken a look at this issue that the TPP is just a new, easy way for corporations to shut down in America and to send jobs abroad. It is estimated the United States would lose more than 130,000 jobs to Vietnam and Japan alone if the Trans-Pacific Partnership goes into effect. The reason for that is, when we are dealing with a country such as Vietnam, my understanding is the minimum wage there is 56 cents an hour--56 cents an hour. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I don't think American workers should be forced to compete against people who are working for 56 cents an hour.

At a time when corporations have already outsourced over 3 million service sector jobs in the United States, the Trans-Pacific Partnership includes rules that will make it easier for corporate America to outsource call centers, computer programming, engineering, accounting, and medical diagnostic drugs. Under the TPP, Vietnamese companies will be able to compete with American companies for Federal contracts funded by U.S. taxpayers, undermining ``Buy American'' laws.

If the United States is to remain a major industrial power, producing real products and creating good-paying jobs, we must develop a new set of trade policies which work for the ordinary American worker and not for large corporations and big campaign donors.

Let me be very frank as an Independent. This is not just the Republicans who have been supporting these unfettered free-trade agreements; there have been Democratic Presidents as well. Corporate America has said we want these trade policies, and the leaders of both political parties have said, yes, that is what we will do. But I think it is time to stand up and say enough is enough.

This country now is in a major race to the bottom. Workers are working longer hours for lower wages. No American worker should be forced to compete against desperate people around the world who are making pennies an hour.

Corporate America, every night on television in every ad we see, tells us buy this product, buy that product. Well, you know what. If they want us to buy these products, maybe it is high time they started manufacturing those products in the United States of America.

I am opposed to the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. That is my view, but I would hope every Member is opposed to the fast-track process which gives the authority to negotiate these agreements in the final terms. That is because nobody has had the opportunity to even see what is in the proposed agreement right now. Transparency has been minimal, absolutely minimal.

I think if we are serious about creating decent-paying jobs in this country, if we are serious about raising wages, if we are serious about dealing with the other issues that have surfaced in terms of sovereignty, the idea we would make it easier for tobacco companies to sell their deadly products to children around the world and make it harder for governments to protect the health of their citizens is an absolute outrage. It is an outrage.

I again thank Senator Brown for helping to organize this event. I hope the American people stand and tell the Congress enough is enough. We need to create decent-paying jobs in this country for a change and not just in other countries around the world.

I yield the floor.

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