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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) condemned the recent statement made by President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors Chairman who said, “Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade…and that is a good thing.” Congressman Kildee sent a letter to President Bush today expressing his disappointment with the Administration for failing to address the manufacturing job crisis in the U.S and particularly Michigan. Kildee chastised President Bush for explicitly including “outsourcing” in the Administration’s national economic policy. Kildee encouraged the Administration to abandon any “outsourcing” plans that would send more U.S. manufacturing jobs overseas.
“We cannot afford to lose the manufacturing base of our nation’s economy. It is imperative that we continue to maintain, preserve and protect our manufacturing jobs inside the United States,” said Kildee. “The Bush Administration should immediately abandon plans to “outsource” manufacturing jobs before it causes irreparable damage to the U.S. economy and increases our nation’s unemployment. Instead, we should be working together to encourage companies to maintain their operations in the U.S. by providing them with real incentives to prevent further job loss.”
Under President Bush, more than 2.8 million U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost. Michigan has been one of the hardest hit states in the country, losing more than 180,000 manufacturing jobs since President Bush took office. The unemployment rate in Michigan is nearly 7.2%, which is almost 30% higher than the national average. Despite these figures, the Bush Administration continues to embrace the policy of foreign “outsourcing” to countries like China, India and the Philippines.
In the letter to the President, Congressman Kildee also encouraged President Bush to reverse the manufacturing job crisis by supporting a bipartisan proposal that will help revitalize our nation’s manufacturing base. Kildee is a cosponsor of the Job Protection Act, H.R. 1769, which would strengthen our nation’s manufacturing sector by creating and maintaining good paying jobs in the U.S. and in Michigan. The Job Protection Act would lower tax rates on all domestic producers, including small businesses and farms, and support true tax reform that would prevent companies from profiting from U.S. layoffs. Kildee has also pledged to continue to fight against any free trade agreements that jeopardize American jobs and cause further damage to the U.S. economy. |
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