Issues

Trade

As a longtime supporter of the domestic textile and manufacturing industries and Co-Chair of both the Congressional Textile and Furniture Caucuses, I understand the devastating impact foreign competition and trade has had on the livelihoods of many of our workers at home.  Over 100,000 textile jobs have already been lost in the region due to unfair trade agreements, and I cannot turn a blind eye to the glaring trade imbalances between the U.S. and a low-cost producing country such as China. 

    While some continue to blame NAFTA for the loss of textile jobs in North Carolina, the real reason for these job losses are cheap imports from Asia.  The fact that many textile manufacturers built plants in Mexico represents a simple reality that these companies are cutting costs wherever they can in an effort to compete with Asia.  With or without NAFTA, these jobs would have been lost because of our unbalanced trade agreements with most Asian countries, especially China. 

    I fully support any and all efforts made by Congress and the Bush Administration to require that China revalue its currency and adhere to the standards of the World Trade Organization.  In fact, I have added my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 2942 (the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act), a bill that would designate a country’s use of currency misalignment as an actionable illegal subsidy under U.S. countervailing duty law.

    If you are familiar with my record, I support very few free trade agreements.  My votes against certain trade agreements such as CAFTA and Vietnam reflect my concerns about these deals, which all too often contain loopholes and provisions benefiting others at the expense of the domestic industry and our workers at home.

    I do, however, continue to seek opportunities to strengthen existing trade accords.  We cannot turn our backs on the global economy.  As a supporter of Andean Trade Preferences, fair trade must not be compromised under the free trade mantle.  This trade relationship has garnered strong support from the U.S. textile and apparel industry, particularly in an environment where the industry must continuously compete with imports from low-cost producing nations such as China.  On that same token, it is all the more crucial for the industry to have a predictable and stable duty-free platform in the hemisphere.

    While I will continue to fight against liberal trade policies, the unfortunate reality is that some jobs will still be lost.  For this reason, it is crucial that we invest in programs that can help provide the tools needed to adjust to and thrive in the changing economic landscape.  For instance, I have supported legislation that would extend trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to displaced textile and apparel workers.  In addition, I am a vocal supporter of funding for the National Textile Center (NTC) and Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation (TC[2]), the NC State University research consortium that works to advance the competitiveness of the U.S. textile and apparel industry complex. 

    My responsibility to do what I believe is right for the Sixth District and North Carolina as a whole is not something I approach lightly when addressing trade issues.  My mama was a textile worker and protecting that industry will remain a very important issue for me.