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Democrats, White House Clash on Trade
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In an interview yesterday, Levin, the trade subcommittee chairman, said that would not fly: "Now, we're in the majority, and they have to step up to the plate," he said. "They haven't so far."
When, during the hearing, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) pressed Schwab to embrace ILO standards, she demurred. "I have made a commitment to this committee to try to bridge the divide on labor standards," she said.
Schwab said the committee should be "upbeat" about data released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday showing that the U.S. trade deficit reached a record $764 billion in 2006. Looking beyond that headline, she said, will show that exports are booming to countries with which the United States has trade deals, creating jobs for Americans.
"Upbeat," Doggett repeated scornfully. "You believe that we just need to stay the course."
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) dismissed talk of low unemployment, asserting that parts of her district have a jobless rate pushing 14 percent.
"In Ohio, workers -- fact or fiction -- believe that their jobs are gone because of the trade policies of our government," she said. What, she asked, was Schwab doing to "ease their worry"?
Schwab acknowledged a perception problem, adding that the majority of Americans have benefited from trade.
"There is a reality," Tubbs Jones replied. "People have lost jobs because of trade."
