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Guest Commentary May 14, 2002
U.S. Workers Losing Ground Due to Poor Trade Agreements
The Honorable Robert Byrd
The Bush administration continues its push for fast track trade authority under the fictitious term "trade promotion authority." This is legislation that would enable the President to negotiate trade agreements without full congressional input. With fast track authority, there would be only limited Senate debate. With fast track authority the full Senate will have no opportunity to amend. Most Members of Congress will have no opportunity to protect the interests of the people, the communities, and the industries of their particular States, including ensuring the protection of the standard of living of our workers and their families within those States and communities.
Although the Constitution clearly gives Congress the duty--and the power, it gives Congress the power -- "to regulate commerce with foreign nations," with fast track authority the Congress will simply applaud a presidential trade-negotiating effort by approving a trade agreement, or boo the effort by disapproving it. That is pretty unlikely, that it would be disapproved.
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Members of Congress should never allow our options to be so restricted. We were sent here to promote and to protect the interests of our States as well as the national good, and those goals are best served by debate and amendment, particularly with regard to trade deals.
The workers of this Nation are losing ground, in large part, due to poor trade agreements. For Congress to abdicate its constitutional authority here is to, in my view, turn its back on millions of American workers -- the workers who are the backbone of this Nation, and who deserve more than a cursory, neglectful wink and nod. ...
Of the 3 million trade-related job losses between 1994 and 2000, 1.9 million were in manufacturing. This means that nearly two of every three lost jobs were in manufacturing. ...
These trade-related job losses happened as increased globalization encouraged American industries to pack up and seek other lands where labor is cheaper and where industries do not have to comply with the environmental and safety standards in the United States. ...
Workers have been forced out of higher wage, industrial jobs into low-paying service jobs. In 1980, private-sector service employment constituted 65 percent of the American private sector workforce; by the year 2000, the percentage had soared to 77 percent. ...
Put simply, stagnating wages are forcing Americans to work longer and longer hours just to maintain their standard of living. They are not getting ahead. They are simply maintaining what they have worked so hard for, if, indeed, they are even maintaining that.
This is why the Congress must protect and exercise its right to amend trade agreements. Why do we give away Congress' power to amend trade agreements?
We must insist on establishing universal labor and environmental standards. We must insist on protecting American industries from even more devastation by unfair competition from firms operating abroad, exploiting cheap labor pools, and tolerating working conditions which are unacceptably harsh, and environmental standards which are nonexistent. ...
Over the years, I have seen administrations -- Republican and Democratic -- repeatedly negotiate trade agreements that reflected priorities other than those of the American people. ...
I have seen this Nation genuflect at the altar of big business interests. I have witnessed the holy battle cry of "free trade" become a club by which to beat into submission any voice that expressed an argument for balance and fairness. That is understandably the outcome of trade talks that ignore the constitutional role of the Congress in international commerce.
While it is not surprising that Republican and Democratic administrations would attempt to enter into trade agreements that reflect their own priorities, it is absolutely distressing that the Members of Congress would willingly give up their right to shape trade agreements that reflect the priorities of the American people, and the best interests of the United States. It just demonstrates how cowed and how intimidating we in public life have become by the absolute terror of bumper sticker politics. Free trade is the battle cry. Don't complicate it with real world concerns. ...
Call it trade promotion authority, if you will -- it is still fast track -- to give away American interests when it comes to trade.
Robert Byrd, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The above commentary has been adapted from a speech Sen. Byrd delivered on the floor of the Senate, May 13, 2002. To contact him, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
