Executive
Voices -- an Op-Ed Column
Why I Voted for
TPA
President Bush wants to help
North Carolina's textile manufacturers
By Cong. Cass Ballenger
As a
Hickory manufacturer and eight-term member of Congress, I have noticed
a pattern in the way various administrations have treated our textile
industry over the past 16 years. Each president named a special trade
negotiator to listen sympathetically to our concerns, and then tried
to soothe our wounds with words rather than action. I don’t know how
many times we heard previous administrations tell us about the need
for a “level playing field,” though they never really helped.
Problems in the textile
industry are not new. That giant sucking sound Ross Perot warned of
was heard 30 years ago, long before NAFTA ever passed.
In the first half of the
20th century, the textile industry boomed. But as early as the
1960’s, sweater producers in Hickory began to close. Shortly
thereafter, plants manufacturing shirts, pajamas and underwear
followed. Plant closures were invariably attributed to
“manufacturing costs.”
When I came to Congress in
1986, textiles were already facing serious difficulties. I quickly
became an active member of the Textile Caucus, a group in Congress
fighting to protect jobs in this manufacturing sector. As a Hickory
manufacturer myself, I know the problems we face. Year after year, we
battled to have the executive branch place textiles atop its priority
list in trade negotiations. Until recently, both Republican and
Democrat presidents gave words without action, rhetoric without
policy. Until recently, we never even had a seat at the table.
Today all that has changed.
With President George W. Bush in the White House, textile
manufacturers are now receiving real help from a trustworthy and able
administration. In the weeks leading up to the House vote on Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA), our president sought the counsel of members
of the Textile Caucus. I took every opportunity in every meeting to
make sure President Bush understood the plight of thousands of
unemployed textile workers in North Carolina as well as the needs of
our struggling manufacturing plants.
In our meetings, President
Bush pledged to help protect our textile industry from harmful illegal
imports, a practice known as transshipment. President Bush also
supports reforms that inject cash back into manufacturing businesses,
allowing them to grow. Our productive meetings with the White House
gave me confidence in President Bush’s desire to help North
Carolina’s textile manufacturers.
President Bush responded by
offering unprecedented protections, but alone they were not enough for
me to vote in favor of TPA. Missing was a requirement that all
printing, dyeing and finishing be done in the U.S. as part of any
trade agreement. The president could not commit. Thus my position on
TPA remained NO despite the president’s regular and personal pleas
for support.
On the day of the vote,
TPA’s passage remained uncertain. The vote was kept open 20 minutes
after normal closure, when pressure brought by the Textile Caucus led
to a landmark deal for the industry. Right there on the House floor,
Speaker Dennis Hastert and other House leaders signed an agreement to
protect our manufacturers who print, dye and finish in the United
States. House leadership also committed to help improve the
enforcement of existing U.S. trade laws to prevent transshipment, the
illegal and fraudulent importation of goods. My YES vote on TPA was
necessary to secure this unprecedented list of protections North
Carolina’s textile manufacturers requested and continue to need.
President Bush is now
fulfilling his commitment to keep our manufacturers at the forefront
of his economic and trade agenda. Commerce Secretary Don Evans
recently convened the interagency Textile Working Group, chaired by
Undersecretary for International Trade Grant Aldonas. Secretary
Aldonas recently visited my congressional district to talk with
textile, hosiery and apparel manufacturers. He assured us of the
concrete steps President Bush is taking to address manufacturers’
needs during this trying economic time.
Specifically, President Bush
is aggressively pursuing reciprocal market access in trade
negotiations. The administration is also working to minimize the
effects of foreign relief packages on U.S. textile and apparel
industries. As a result, Pakistan, a key ally in the war on terrorism,
was recently provided only 10 percent of what they sought in a recent
trade negotiation, and the agreement was structured in a way that
protects our most sensitive commodities here at home. Believe me, no
other president has or would have given textiles that level of
consideration.
President Bush further stuck
to his word when he signed the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act
of 2002. As promised, the package includes a five-year “carryback”
of net operating losses that gives troubled companies operating
capital that had been refused them by lenders. It also accelerates the
depreciation of new equipment purchases, providing manufacturers tax
incentives to buy new machinery.
I regret some people don’t
recognize the aid these policies bring to our beleaguered workers and
industries. Naysayers choose instead to bury their heads in the sand
and complain. After being ignored by president after president, I
understand it’s hard to believe textiles are a priority for
President Bush. Believe it. Help is on the way from a president who
truly keeps his word.
As the United States leads
freedom’s charge around the globe, our own national and economic
interests must be at the heart of the fight. I have always adamantly
contended that those interests include North Carolina’s textile
manufacturers. Now that manufacturers are finally receiving
long-overdue consideration from the federal government, I remain
confident they will innovate produce and return to viability.
Congressman Cass Ballenger is a Hickory business owner who has
represented North Carolina's 10th District for eight terms.
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