The Constitution gives Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations.”

It’s important to be able to negotiate with foreign countries to promote trade initiatives, and this oversight was granted to Congress for a reason.  Trade agreements have a major impact on American jobs and communities. 

I am concerned that this legislation granting the President Fast Track Trade Authority takes away much of Congress’s oversight ability to make sure that we don’t enter into agreements that would hurt Americans workers and businesses.

I support fair trade.  We have to recognize that we live in a global society, and we want our farmers and our businesses and industries to have access to global markets and be strong players in the global economy.

Our recent free trade agreements have resulted in the largest trade deficits our country has ever seen.  I have spent much of my time in office this year fighting the dumping of foreign steel, fighting the dumping of Canadian-subsidized softwood lumber, and fighting—of all things—the dumping of so-called catfish from Vietnam.  I’ve seen lumber mills and catfish processing plants in my district forced to cut back to three or four days a week or shut down altogether.

I cannot drive through my district in south Arkansas without seeing a mill or plant shut down and abandoned and communities devastated.  As a result of NAFTA alone, the state of Arkansas lost almost 9,000 jobs between 1994 and 1999, while gaining only 3,200. Those are real jobs and real people.  And for many of these workers, there are no other jobs in their area to turn to as they struggle to support their families.

Mr. Speaker, one of my biggest concerns with passing this Trade Promotion Authority legislation is the negative impact it will have on our farm families.  We fought hard in the House Agriculture Committee earlier this year to write and pass a Farm Bill that truly supports our farm families.  Unfortunately, we still don’t have a new farm policy signed into law, and the Administration has stated its opposition to the House and Senate farm bills, saying that farm subsidies that our farmers desperately need to make ends meet would risk our ability to meet our existing trade obligations and reduce our ability to further expand opportunities for our producers in foreign markets. 

The Administration has further stated that farm programs are “on the table” for the next two years of trade negotiations. 

Passing this legislation would give the President the authority to eliminate integral subsidy programs for our farm families that are outlined in the Farm Bill if he believed they conflicted with trade agreements. 

Our farmers don’t want a handout; they simply want to continue doing what they do best, and that’s feed and clothe America.  Without the programs provided in the Farm Bill we passed earlier this year, we will continue to lose more and more farm families.  We must maintain these programs to assist farm families when market prices are down.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot support granting the President trade authority that takes away powers granted to Congress in the Constitution and that leaves us without assurances that the livelihoods of the farmers in my district and across America will be protected.  I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation.