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Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) voted against the Australian Free Trade Agreement because our nation is facing the largest trade deficit in U.S. history. Although the U.S. economy is hemorrhaging jobs, President Bush continues to negotiate and enter into Free Trade Agreements that jeopardize U.S. jobs and American industries. Months ago, Congressman Kildee was able to persuade the Bush Administration to abandon plans to exploit U.S. sugar during the Australian Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
“Even though I voted against this FTA, I am relieved that I was able to remove U.S. sugar from the bargaining table before the Bush Administration allowed our markets to be flooded with foreign subsidized sugar,” said Kildee. “While this new agreement has better environmental standards and labor protections than most Free Trade Agreements, I voted against it because the benefits are not mutual and it aides Australia more than to the United States.”
Congressman Kildee opposed the Australian FTA because it hurts Michigan’s dairy farmers by allowing increased imports of dairy products into the U.S. from Australia, which could undercut the entire U.S. dairy industry. Kildee also opposed another provision in the Australian FTA that would prohibit the re-importation of prescription drugs, which would help lower the cost of drugs for senior citizens and veterans. However, Congressman Kildee was able to persuade the Administration to abandon their plans to eliminate sugar tariffs as part of the Australian FTA. Regrettably, the Bush Administration has continually used the U.S. sugar industry as a bargaining chip during trade negotiations with Australia and Central America.
Instead of pursuing economic policies that would actually stimulate job growth, President Bush continues to negotiate Free Trade Agreements that weaken our economy and send more American jobs overseas. Unfortunately, Free Trade Agreements have had a devastating impact on the U.S. economy and they have been a leading factor in the rise of unemployment. Eliminating tariffs and allowing companies to exploit foreign labor has destroyed entire American industries and has placed America at a huge economic disadvantage. The Australian Free Trade Agreement is just another example of an unfair trade policy that disproportionately favors the host country, which will likely cause further damage to the American economy and our workforce. |
