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“MAKING AMERICA STRONGER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S12965 on Oct. 21, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MAKING AMERICA STRONGER
Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, in September I issued a major report on restoring U.S. manufacturing. I commend this report to my colleagues. It can be found at www.Lieberman.Senate.gov.
The collapse of our manufacturing sector is heart breaking. We have lost 14,00 manufacturing jobs in the last 3 months and 2.8 million since July of 2000. And this is during what is supposed to be an economic recovery. In terms of jobs, the U.S. manufacturing sector has slipped every month for the last 38 months. In my own State of Connecticut we have lost more than 14 out of every 100 manufacturing jobs in the past 3 years, and it is cold comfort that we are not the worst.
Our manufacturing sector is hemorrhaging jobs at a dismaying rate. And not just jobs but industries. Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently published an analysis of the current
``jobless recovery.'' Their conclusion is stark:
``Our inquiry into the reasons for the current labor market slump suggests that structural change has played an important role. Industries that lost jobs during the recession have continued to shrink during the recovery, and permanent job losses have eclipsed temporary layoffs.''--``Has Structural Change Contributed to a Jobless Recovery?'' (Erica L. Groshen and Simon Potter)
As the report highlights, there are many reasons behind these closed plants, these lost jobs, these devastated families. Fierce competition from overseas competitors--some of them playing on fields tilted distinctly in their favor--has played a major role. So did the severe recessions we are only now climbing out of. The collapse of the telecom industry had severe consequences for manufacturers that served the electronics and information technology industries. This report discusses a number of challenges and problems facing American industry.
But the most imperative question remains, ``What does the Bush administration intend to do about it?'' Its recent acknowledgment of foreign country manipulation of their currencies is welcome, but the Administration is not utilizing its current authority to remedy this abuse; this is the key point of my legislation, S. 1592, the Fair Currency Enforcement Act of 2003, discussed in depth in this report. Creating an Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Office of Industry Analysis simply rearranges existing boxes, and submerges them deep in the Commerce Department. This report recommends making the Commerce and Defense Secretaries themselves responsible. Their plan remains lacking in content and vision. It is all about gestures, not actions.
Forgive me, but the time has come to be blunt. Every sector of the American economy plays a role in the strength and security of our nation, but the role played by manufacturing is unique, and uniquely important. To do nothing, to roll over and play dead, is not the American way. Sadly, it seems to be the approach favored by the current Administration.
The problems we face are complex, the response needs to be thorough, broad-based, and coordinated. That is what this report is really about. Here we present the broadest, most comprehensive and insightful plan to revitalize U.S. manufacturing yet proposed.
We need to understand that trade is not the problem, it is part of the solution. And we need to deal with the obstacles raised in some countries to a free and fair trade in American goods. We need to invest in the future of manufacturing, in the research and development of new, path-breaking manufacturing processes. We need to invest in our workforce, in the training and education needed to excel and prosper in a world labor market. We need to reinvigorate partnerships between state and Federal Government, and between government and industry.
Indeed, this is not a task for government alone. The proposals outlined in this report call upon industry and academia, upon labor and management, upon the private and public sectors to contribute to the solutions we need.
It will require all of us, pulling together.
I want to thank Michael Baum, along with William Bonvillian and Chuck Ludlam of my staff, for their efforts in preparing what I believe will be a useful and timely report.
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