Transpacific Partnership

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Japan's Prime Minister addressed Congress.

Each U.S. President has their Japan opening initiative. All fail, as will President Obama.

Soothing words are what Prime Minister Abe gave Congress yesterday. But here is the scorecard for U.S. trade with Japan:

There hasn't been a single year of trade surplus for our country, not even balance. Rather, over the last 20 years, we have had $1,963,654,100 trillion lost dollars; U.S. dollars that have gone to Japan from us buying their products, but their markets remain closed to ours.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not a trade deal. It should be debated as a treaty. It is a foreign policy arrangement that is part of the shift to Asia.

As for the trade portion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, it facilitates the movement of more U.S. jobs and corporations into Vietnam and other nations in the region. Labor costs there are chasing cheap labor a third of that of China now, and will ease the movement of those goods back into--guess where--our country again.

We have seen it before. It is time for Congress to stand up for the workers and communities of the United States of America. Let us start building back our middle class rather than keep shipping it out every place but here.

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