Floor Speeches

Today I am pleased to see that Congress is finally focused on America's top priority, jobs. As economic experts from across the ideological spectrum have made clear, these trade agreements with Panama, Colombia, and South Korea will create jobs for Americans. In fact, the White House has said these deals will create 70,000 new jobs for Americans at a time when we need them. That's why I intend to vote for all three agreements.

I'm also going to vote ``yes'' because these trade pacts will help put money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans. By lifting the aggressive tariffs on many commonly purchased clothing and household items, we can cut the prices of essentials that every family needs. Tariffs are essentially like a sales tax on imported goods, and like sales taxes in many States, they're regressive.

Most U.S. imports today come into this country duty free, but a small amount of items that many Americans use, like sneakers and clothing and other household items, come with a tariff that's much higher than many luxury items. For example, a pair of fancy Italian loafers has a tariff of only 8.5 percent, but a pair of affordable sneakers that moms and dads buy for their kids when they're heading back to school carry a tariff that increases their price by 50 percent. Thrifty cotton and polyester work shirts carry a 16 and 32 percent tariff, but a silk Armani shirt comes with only a 1 percent tariff. Not only are these regressive tariffs hard on the middle class, but they hurt American businesses.

Many businesses in my district can expand their operations and hire more workers with these three trade agreements. For example, in my district alone, four businesses that export electronics, building materials, and foods pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in tariffs just to the Colombian Government. That translates into jobs in my district.

Most importantly, as the gentleman from Michigan mentioned, as a new father, I think about the kind of world I want my son to grow up in. I want a world that reduces barriers between ideas, between people, and between the flow of goods and services so that we can fully embrace our brothers and sisters in Colombia, our brothers and sisters in South Korea, our brothers and sisters in Panama and, indeed, across the world to build a common greatness of humanity that manifests itself economically through the flow of goods and services, culturally, and of course to better establish the greatness of global culture.

Congress should pass these three trade agreements. I'm proud to support all three of these job-creating free trade agreements. I compliment President Obama on his leadership for bringing these deals before us, and I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to create jobs in America.