Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
MR. BROWN: EARLIER TODAY I TOURED ALCOA'S CLEVELAND WORKS
PLANT, THE PLANT HOUSES AN ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING MARVEL
OF 50,000-TON, STANDS 87 FEET HIGH, 36 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE,
51 FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. THE PRESS HAS ENOUGH STEEL TO LAY 42
MILES OF RAILROAD TRACK. THAT'S ROUGHLY HERE TO BALTIMORE OR
AKRON TO CLEVELAND. IT'S MASSIVE, ONE OF ONLY FIVE HEAVY DYE
PRESSING STORAGE IN THE UNITED STATES, CONSIDERED OFFICIALLY BY
THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION A LANDMARK. ITS ORIGINAL
PURPOSE WAS TO BUILD COMPONENTS FOR LARGE AIRPLANES DURING
WORLD WAR II. DURING THE WAR, WE DISCOVERED THE GERMAN AIRCRAFT
WERE BEING BUILT WITH STRUCTURE ELEMENTS THAT COULD ONLY BE
MADE BY LARGE FORGING PROCESSES THAT WE THOUGHT HAD NOT YET
BEEN INVENTED. AND SO ONLY AS IT COULD DO, OUR GOVERNMENT, AS
{18:52:36} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
ONLY IT COULD DO, OUR GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AIR FORCE
INITIATED THE HEAVY PRESS PROGRAM TO COMPETE WITH THE GERMANS
AND TO SHOW THAT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING MATTERS TO OUR COUNTRY.
AFTER THE WAR, WE BROUGHT THE SUPER GIANT FORGING PRESS TO
AMERICA AND TO CLEVELAND WHERE IT REMAINS CRITICAL TO OUR
COMMERCIAL AND DEFENSE AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES. IT FORMED THE
BASIS OF A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP THAT STAMPS THE "MADE IN
AMERICA" LABEL ON SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS. TODAY ALCOA IS INVESTING $100
{18:53:10} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
MILLION TO COMPLETE AND RESTART ITS REDESIGN OF THE MASSIVE
PRESS. ALCOA INVESTED IN AMERICA AND IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN OHIO
MANUFACTURING. IT SHOWS THE COMPANY'S ABILITY TO LEVERAGE
PUBLIC RESOURCES TO MEET INDUSTRIAL BASED NEEDS AS WELL AS
COMMERCIAL DEMANDS OF THE MARKET. IT'S FOR OUR NATIONAL
SECURITY AND IT'S FOR OUR DOMESTIC SECURITY TO BUILD A MIDDLE
CLASS. AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW PARTNERSHIPS CAN STILL PAY
DIVIDENDS SIX DECADES LATER AND WILL DO SO WITH CONTINUED
INVESTMENT FOR DECADES TO COME. AT THE TIME IT WAS ABOUT OUR
NATIONAL PRIDE AND NEED IN TIMES OF WAR. TODAY IT'S ABOUT
CREATING AND RETAINING JOBS. IT'S ABOUT SHOWING THAT
MANUFACTURING. IT'S ABOUT BUILDING THINGS. IT'S ABOUT
INNOVATION. MANUFACTURING IS ABOUT HIGH-TECH PRODUCTION, ITS
SOPHISTICATED ENGINEERING, ITS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND
REMAINS A TICKET TO THE MIDDLE CLASS. WE'RE FINALLY SEEING
RECOGNITION IN WASHINGTON THAT MANUFACTURING IS CRITICAL TO OUR
ECONOMIC RECOVERY. FOR 12 YEARS, FROM 1997 THROUGH THE EIGHT
{18:54:20} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
BUSH YEARS INTO 2009, WE HAD SEEN A DECLINE EVERY SINGLE YEAR
IN OHIO MANUFACTURING, IN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING. BUT FOR THE
LAST 21 MONTHS WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN MANUFACTURING JOBS IN
AMERICA, AND AN INCREASE IN MANUFACTURING JOBS IN OHIO. IT
STARTED IN PART WITH THE AUTO RESCUE, WHERE IF SOME
CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON HAD THEIR WAY, THEY
WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE AUTO INDUSTRY SIMPLY TO DECLARE
BANKRUPTCY WITH NO ABILITY TO FINANCE A RESTRUCTURE OF THE AUTO
{18:54:55} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
INDUSTRY. INSTEAD, WORKING -- THE PRESIDENT WORKING WITH THE
SENATE, WORKING WITH THE HOUSE RESCUED THAT INDUSTRY BY
INVESTING IN THAT INDUSTRY. TODAY IN MY STATE, WE ARE SEEING
THOUSANDS OF AUTO JOBS IN THE AUTO COMPANIES, IN CHRYSLER AND
G.M., THEMSELVES, JOBS THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE IF WE
HADN'T DONE THE AUTO RESCUE. WE'RE SEEING ALL KINDS OF AUTO
SUPPLY JOBS. FOR INSTANCE, IN TOLEDO, AT THE JEEP PLANT, THE
CHRYSLER JEEP PLANT IN TOLEDO, WHERE THREE YEARS AGO 50% OF
{18:55:29} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
COMPONENTS IN THAT ASSEMBLY PLANT CAME FROM ONLY -- ONLY 50%
CAME FROM DOMESTIC SOURCES. TODAY MORE THAN 70% COME FROM
DOMESTIC SOURCES. TODAY PLANTS IN TOLEDO, IN LORDSTOWN ARE
HIRING WORKERS. THE CHEVY CRUZE, ONE OF THE HOTTEST SELLING
CARS IN AMERICA IS AS CLOSE TO AN ALL-OHIO CAR AS YOU CAN GET.
THE ENGINE IS TPHAEUD DEFIANCE, TRANSMISSION IN TOLEDO, THE
{18:56:01} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
STEEL COMES OUT OF CLEVELAND. THE ALUMINUM COMES OUT OF
CLEVELAND. PART OF THE SOUND SYSTEM COMES OUT OF SPRINGBORO,
ASSEMBLY IN LORDSTOWN. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF AUTO WORKER
JOBS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS OF AUTO SUPPLIERS SUPPLYING THE
CRUZE, SUPPLYING HONDA, SUPPLYING THE JEEP PLANT IN TOLEDO,
SUPPLYING THE FORD PLANT IN AVON LAKE. IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE,
HONDA AND CHRYSLER AND FORD AND G.M. ANNOUNCED MULTIMILLION
DOLLAR INVESTMENTS IN OHIO ALONE AND IN MANY CASES AROUND THE
{18:56:34} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
COUNTRY. HONDA ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BUILD AND DEVELOP ITS MOST
STATE-OF-THE-ART SPORTS CAR EVER RIGHT IN OHIO. WE SEE THE SAME
JOB-CREATING INVESTMENTS FROM CHRYSLER, ITS TOLEDO ASSEMBLY
COMPLEX, FROM G.M. AND ITS DEFIANCE PLANT. LIKE IT DID WHEN OUR
COUNTRY NEED THE THE FORGING PRESS, OUR GOVERNMENT STEPPED UP
TO INVEST IN AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY. SO THOSE WHO COMPLAIN
ABOUT THE AUTO RESCUE NEED TO READ A LITTLE HISTORY TO
UNDERSTAND THAT SO OFTEN AMERICAN MANUFACTURING PARTNERED WITH
U.S. TAXPAYERS TO MAKE SURE THESE INDUSTRIES WERE STRONG AND
SOLID AND CREATED GOOD-PAYING JOBS TO BUILD A MIDDLE CLASS.
IT'S PAYING OFF DIVIDENDS TODAY. IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IN
THE FUTURE. ONE LAST POINT, MADAM PRESIDENT -- A UNANIMOUS
CONSENT REQUEST AFTER I SPEAK THAT THE SENATOR FROM OREGON IS
RECOGNIZED.
{18:57:34 NSP} (THE PRESIDING OFFICER) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT OBJECTION.
{18:57:36 NSP} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
MR. BROWN: THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT. ONE MORE POINT I WANT TO
MAKE, WE MUST REMAIN VIGILANT IN ENFORCEMENT OF OUR TRADE LAWS.
OUR PROGRESS IN AUTOS IS AT RISK OF BEING UNDERCUT IF WE ALLOW
CHINA TO CONTINUE TO CHEAT TRADE RULES, FLAUNT ITS PREDATORY
AUTO TRADE PRACTICES IN OUR FACES. ONLY TEN YEARS AGO CHINA,
OUR TRADE DEFICIT IN AUTO PARTS WITH CHINA WAS ONLY ABOUT $1
BILLION. THAT HAS GROWN 800% TO ABOUT $9 BILLION TO $10
{18:58:08} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
BILLION. THAT MEANS MORE THAN 1.6 MILLION AMERICAN JOBS ARE AT
RISK. OUR TRADE DEFICIT WITH CHINA IS CONTINUING TO CAUSE
DIFFICULTY FOR MIDDLE-CLASS AMERICANS. CHINA HAS BEGUN PLACING
TARIFFS ON AMERICAN-MADE AUTOMOBILES. THESE MASSIVE ILLEGAL
SUBSIDIES ARE WORSENED BY INDIRECT PREDATORY SUBSIDIES LIKE
CURRENCY IS I MANIPULATION. THAT'S WHY, MADAM PRESIDENT, I'M
ENCOURAGED BY THE PRESIDENT'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW TRADE
ENFORCEMENT PANEL. IT'S BORN OF THE REALIZEIZATION THAT THE
STAKES ARE TOO HIGH FOR OUR WORKERS AND OUR COMPANIES AND OUR
ECONOMY IF WE DON'T FIGHT BACK. WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK
APPROACH AMONG USTR, THE TRADE REP, STATE DEPARTMENT, THE
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT TO BE INVOLVED, TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE
ESPECIALLY BY INITIATING MORE TRADE CASES. MADAM PRESIDENT, I
KNOW FROM REPRESENTING OHIO IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE SINCE
2007, I KNOW WHAT TRADE ENFORCEMENT LAWS DO. TRADE ENFORCEMENT
BY THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
AGAINST CHINA CHEATING CREATED JOBS IN LORAIN, OHIO IN THE
STEEL INDUSTRY, CREATED JOBS IN FINDLAY, OHIO IN THE TIRE
{18:59:16} (MR. BROWN) { NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT }
INDUSTRY, CREATED JOBS IN PAPER IN OTHER INDUSTRIES AROUND THE
STATE. AND, MADAM PRESIDENT, RESULTED IN A NEW STEEL MILL IN
YOUNGSTOWN OHIO WHEREBY ABOUT 1,000 BUILDING TRADESPEOPLE ARE
BUILDING THAT PLANT AND 500 OR 600 STEELWORKERS WILL BE WORKING
IN THAT PLANT THAT MANUFACTURES OIL COUNTRY TUBULAR STEEL, JOBS
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN CHINA IF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES AND THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION DID NOT ENFORCE
TRADE LAWS. THAT'S WHY THAT MATTERS. THAT'S WHY THE NEW TRADE
ENFORCEMENT PANEL THAT THE PRESIDENT IS SETTING UP AS PART OF
HIS BUDGET IS SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOR THE FUTURE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS IN OUR
GREAT COUNTRY. MADAM PRESIDENT, I YIELD THE FLOOR.