Washington, DC  -  President Bush ‘did the right thing’ by reinstating quotas against some Chinese textile imports, Congressman Mike Rogers said today, arguing the safeguards would help send a message that unfair trading practices would not be tolerated.

“I am very pleased the Commerce Department moved quickly to implement these safeguards and applaud President Bush for defending our textile manufacturers,” Rogers said. “He did the right thing. Let’s hope the Chinese get the message.”

Rogers’ comments came in response to the federal government’s decision Friday to re-impose trade restrictions on Chinese-made cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and underwear. Rogers said the flood of Chinese textiles since January had disrupted the domestic market, and the action was necessary to help level the playing field.

“Every one of our textile workers know the Chinese just don’t want to play by the rules, and it’s going to be up to us to do something about it,” Rogers said.

However he also noted the quotas would strengthen only a small portion of the U.S. textile market. Moving forward, he said, the federal government should continue to work aggressively to enforce international trade agreements, and make a more proactive effort to evaluate which, if any, new free trade pacts would be in the long-term interests of American manufacturers.

“I hope these new safeguards, however beneficial to many of our domestic producers, represent the beginnings of a more comprehensive effort to strengthen our industrial base,” he said. “Trade agreements will only be fair if we have the courage to stand up against those nations that refuse to compete fairly.”