The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“JANUARY TRADE DEFICIT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2093 on March 16, 2017.
The Department includes the Census Bureau, which is used to determine many factors about American life. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department is involved in misguided foreign trade policies and is home to many unneeded programs.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
JANUARY TRADE DEFICIT
(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the Commerce Department just announced that America's trade deficit for January 2017 was $48.5 billion, the largest monthly deficit since March 2012. That translates into more lost jobs in our country.
In the campaign, President Trump criticized our trade deals. He promised to do better for American workers. And now, nearly 2 months into his Presidency, what action has he taken to stop the erosion of this deficit and the jobs that go with them?
It continues to get worse.
What hope can he give to the hundreds and hundreds more steelworkers in Lorain, Ohio, who just received pink slips over the weekend due to the permanent closure of another steel line, due to Chinese imports and predatory trade practice?
It is going to put a lot of steelworkers back to work, President Trump said during the campaign and after as he revived the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines. But his talk turned out to be empty and a pipe dream because the pipes have already been purchased from foreign sources.
Next month, China's President, Xi Jinping, will visit President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. President Trump talked tough on China throughout the campaign, but what will he do to reform Chinese trade practices that are resulting in these increasing trade deficits?
Mr. Speaker, I hope our President begins to keep the long list of campaign promises that he made to working people across this country, reverses these deficits, and starts increasing good jobs again.
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