Washington, DC - Today, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) voiced his strong criticism of the pending free trade agreement with South Korea. 

“My number one priority is to create new jobs in this country and protect the currents jobs of hard working Americans.  This in mind, I believe that passing the South Korea free trade agreement, as currently written, will not be beneficial to American workers,” said Dingell.  “If we are going to give South Korea and its manufacturers unfettered access to the U.S. domestic market, we must ensure that the long-standing barriers to market entry maintained by South Korea are removed to allow truly fair and free competition between our two countries.  This holds particularly true for the automobile industry.  After helping our automakers back from the brink and saving millions of American jobs, it makes absolutely no sense to enter into a free trade agreement that does not afford them free and fair market access in South Korea but at the same time allows such access for their foreign competitors here.”

Dingell added, “I will not vote in support of the free trade agreement with South Korea as it is currently drafted.  The agreement, which would be the United States’ second-largest after NAFTA, is cut from the cloth of other Bush-era agreements that have proven disastrous for working families in America.  I call on the President to re-negotiate the free trade agreement with South Korea, in particular to address the needs of the working men and women of the domestic automobile industry.”