Bernie Sanders

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Ranking Member Obey) for their very, very hard work on this important bill. Mr. Chairman, as I think every American from Vermont to California knows, in a couple of weeks as winter approaches, people are going to have a very, very rude surprise when they take a look at their home heating bills. I do not have to tell anybody here or anybody in America that the cost of home heating fuels are skyrocketing out of control, and I do not have to tell anybody here that millions and millions and millions of Americans are going to find it increasingly difficult to pay these outrageously high costs in order to keep warm this winter. Mr. Chairman, according to the Energy Information Administration, the price of heating oil, natural gas and propane are expected to skyrocket. They are going to go off the wall. The amendment that I am offering today would provide relief to hundreds of thousands of families by increasing funding for the highly successful and widely supported Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the LIHEAP program, as well as the Weatherization Assistance Program, by $22 million. This increase, I should point out to my friends, would still be $42 million below the President's request. The amendment would be offset by a $26 million reduction in departmental management at the Department of Health and Human Services, which would still provide, with that reduction, level funding for this program. This amendment has tripartisan support and is being cosponsored by my colleagues, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley), the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan). It also enjoys the very strong support of the National Community Action Foundation. Mr. Chairman, from California to Vermont, every American knows that energy costs are only going to go up this winter. Here is what the Energy Information Administration is predicting: Compared to the winters of 1998 to 2000, the price of natural gas will be 55 percent higher; the price of heating oil will be 45 percent higher; and the price of propane will be 41 percent higher. LIHEAP is the primary program that provides assistance to help lower- income families pay their energy bills, and there has been no time when more people are going to need LIHEAP assistance than now. We are facing a crisis, and if we do not act, large numbers of Americans could well go cold this winter. Mr. Chairman, in this country no American family should go without heat this winter. Not one senior citizen should choose between heating their homes and paying for the prescription drugs that they need. Mr. Chairman, LIHEAP and weatherization enjoy broad bipartisan support in Congress. Last March, more than 70 Members of both the House and Senate, including 20 Republicans, cosigned letters calling for $3 billion in funding for LIHEAP. Even if this amendment were signed into law, LIHEAP would still be more than $500 million short of that mark. Similar amendments that I have offered in the past to increase funding for weatherization have been very successful because I think they have strong tripartisan support, understanding that it is absurd that people lose their heat through faulty windows or roofs, and that it makes sense economically and environmentally to substantially increase weatherization. Mr. Chairman, for those of us concerned about protecting the financial well-being of lower-income Americans and for those of us concerned about the environment, this is a very important amendment. It will make more homes throughout this country energy-efficient through proper insulation. This is good for low-income people, it is good for the government, it is good for our environment. The weatherization program also creates good-paying jobs, increases property values, and decreases U.S. energy use by the equivalent of some 15 million barrels of oil every year. Under this program, 105,000 homes will be weatherized this year, but much more can and must be done, and while 4.8 million families received LIHEAP assistance this year, over 25 million eligible families did not receive any help due to lack of funding from the Federal Government. Mr. Chairman, we can do better than that, we must do better than that, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. If the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. Chairman, I think it is best to give the Members an opportunity to express their will on this, but I thank the gentleman very, very much.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, if my friend would further yield, I understand that, and it is like I would not be unhappy if the gentleman took care of that in conference. I know it is a tough judgment. I simply would like the Members to stand up for folks who might go cold this winter. That is the point that I want to make. I am not going to get in a great argument with my colleague here. And perhaps he can adjust that in conference.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for his support for these programs over the years, and I am not going to argue with him about the value of these programs because I know he appreciates the value of the programs. But what my friend cannot deny is that the cost of heating fuels are skyrocketing. There is no debate about that, and the problem is that if we simply increase weatherization and LIHEAP by a little bit, it is not going to keep up with 30, 40, 50 percent increases in home heating fuel. I think my friend would recognize, and none of us can predict the weather, but even with an average winter, the fact that heating fuels are soaring will mean that fewer dollars will be available to people, or we are going to have to cut back on the number of people that utilize the programs. All I am doing, this is not a multibillion-dollar increase, and I know my friend's heart is in the right place on this issue. It is a relatively modest increase of $22 million. I would appreciate support for it.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to commend a Vermont resident, Harriet McGraw, known to her friends as Hatsie, for winning the Robert Penn Warren Award for poetry. Her poem, ``Neighbors in the North End,'' was selected as the best of 853 submissions in a competition which saw entrants from 252 poets from 42 states and foreign nations. The competition was sponsored by the New England Writers Conference. Hatsie McGraw lives in Windsor and works in nearby Springfield, where she is the librarian at the Park Street School. She represents part of what is best about our state: an ongoing creativity that is the hallmark of much in Vermont, a creativity which brings forth not just poetry but handbuilt furniture, innovative small businesses, and popular music. As just one instance of that creativity let me cite her husband Tom, a painter whose works in mixed media were recently exhibited in a show of his work, ``Elements of Diversion,'' at the New England Gallery. We in Vermont are proud of Hatsie McGraw, and of the countless thousands like her who move ever onward in search of new things to do, new heights to scale, new skills to put to use.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding me this time. Let me begin by saying I am prepared to yield time to any proponent of this bill who can tell me what the minimum wage is in Morocco. I heard that it has gone up. What is it, 20 cents an hour, 30 cents an hour? What is the minimum wage in Morocco? I am prepared to yield time if anyone who is supporting this bill will tell me if Morocco is a democratic society. We heard about workers' rights. My understanding is that it is an hereditary monarchy where the legislature there could be abolished at any time by the King. Does anybody want to respond to that? I am waiting. I hear no response. A few minutes ago, Mr. Speaker, we were told that gay marriage was going to destroy the fabric of American society. Well, I will tell my colleagues what is going to destroy the fabric of American society: pieces of legislation like this that are wiping out the middle class of this country, are lowering our standard of living, are making the gap between the rich and the poor grow wider. I would yield again to my friends who are pushing this bill if they will tell me whether they agree with Thomas Donohue, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who several weeks ago urged, urged American companies to outsource, urged American companies to throw our workers out on the street and go to China or Morocco. Will any proponents of this legislation tell me that they disagree with Mr. Donohue? I yield time to anybody who says they disagree with Mr. Donohue, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. I do not hear it. In other words, the proponents of this bill are telling us that they think it is a good idea that Americans workers are thrown out on the street, lose decent paying jobs, and are forced to compete in a race to the bottom against desperate people all over the world who are working for pennies an hour. Mr. Speaker, what is happening in our society today is that while productivity increases, while technology expands, the reality is that the middle class is shrinking and the average American worker is working longer hours for lower wages. There are a lot of reasons for that, but certainly one of the reasons is that our working class, our middle class is being asked to compete against desperate people in Morocco, in China, all over this world. And American corporations are saying, why should I pay an American worker $10, $15 an hour, have unions, protect the environment, when I can go to Morocco, I can go to China, and big money interests in this country, with the help of the Republican leadership, is going to make it easier for me to go abroad. What is happening to this economy is an outrage in terms of the needs of our kids. The U.S. Department of Labor has projected that 7 out of the 10 fastest-growing jobs in the next 10 years are going to pay low wages, require a high school degree, with minimal benefits. We are losing our manufacturing base. In the last 3 years, 2.7 million good- paying manufacturing jobs gone. Now they are taking our information technology jobs to India. Gone. And what is going to be left for our kids? Well, Wal-Mart is doing very well; Burger King is doing very well. Is that what we want for our kids? Why are we selling out the middle class of this country? Why are we allowing corporate America to go abroad? Well, I would suggest that we should look at the campaign contributions that come in to this institution from corporate America. No, let us have trade that is fair, not this trade agreement.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, every day the media bombards us with stories about how dangerous the world is. War and terrorism are, tragically, a part of our modern condition. Yet this picture of international antagonism is so incomplete as to give us a false picture of the globe we inhabit. Fortunately, there are continual efforts, heroic efforts, to bring people together. In fact, though often unrecognized by the mass media, international cooperation and efforts at mutual understanding take place every day. It is important that we recognize those who do the essential and heroic work of building the bridges that unite the international community. Today I want to recognize the fine work of the School for International Studies at St. Michael's College, a private liberal-arts college in Colchester, VT, as the school celebrates its 50th anniversary. During the past five decades, over 15,000 international students have studied English at the St. Michael's campus in Colchester. Founded in 1954 with a small program that taught four students from Puerto Rico, Quebec and Colombia, the program quickly grew to include students from 20 countries. In 1957 the program welcomed 100 Hungarian refugees, known as Freedom Fighters for their 1956 uprising against Soviet troops, to the campus to learn English. The program was so successful that in 1962 a master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (MATESL) was established. Today, the School for International Studies has a worldwide reputation as a leader in language teaching pedagogy. By the 1970s the program was teaching language students from over 40 countries around the world. Nor has the growth and scope of the program slackened in current years. Recently the program has welcomed its first students from Vietnam and Egypt, and has developed partnerships with institutions in Poland, Thailand, Greece, and Colombia. Students from more than 65 countries have studied in the Saint Michael's School of International Studies. This week Saint Michael's College President Marc vanderHeyden presided over a celebration of this 50th anniversary, joined by speakers from some of Saint Michael's partner schools, Kanazawa Technical College of Japan, the Hellenic-American Union of Athens, both the International Christian University and Surugadai University of Tokyo, and the Gimnasio Vermont of Bogota. To St. Michael's College, and to its School for International Studies in particular, a proud state and proud Nation say: Congratulations on working for half a century to bring people together and to build better communication between nations. We wish you well for the next half- century as you continue this vital work.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time, to conclude the debate from our side, by asking for support for what really is a very commonsense amendment. I think the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) said it all. If people want to go to the Cayman Islands, if they want to go to Bermuda, that is their right. No one is questioning their right. But they cannot abandon their country, go abroad, and then say, oh, yeah, by the way, I do not want to pay my taxes, but I sure do want Washington to subsidize my business. So I want to urge support for an amendment that has broad tripartisan support, support of the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Business and Industry Council, the Teamsters, the United Steel Workers, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and Citizens Works. This is an amendment that will tell corporate America that if they want the benefits that U.S. taxpayers provide to them, they cannot run away and avoid their taxes.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor).

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul). (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), who has actually been one of the leaders on this issue in the Congress.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).

Mr. SANDERS. Would the Chairman please tell us how much time is remaining.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the accomplishments of a very special group of volunteers who hail from Vermont's Northeast Kingdom--the tri-county area of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties. I rise to honor the dedicated men and women who have formed and are building Indoor Recreation of Orleans County, more generally known as IROC. Dr. Robert E. Smith, a resident of Newport, chairs the IROC Board of Directors. Dr. Smith and the IROC Board are supported by a 50-member President's Advisory Council, a group of community leaders whose guidance has been invaluable all along the way. James G. Davis directs IROC's day-by-day operations for the Board of Directors. Mr. Davis is a native Vermonter whose vision for the organization has been inspirational. IROC's three-fold mission addresses key regional issues: To improve the quality of life and develop healthy lifestyles for Northeast Kingdom area residents--especially youth--through educational and recreational activities; to develop community-centered facilities and programs that foster a safe environment and inclusive programs to all participants; and, to deliver its services and programs at the lowest cost possible. IROC will have five distinct facility emphases: (1) an aquatic center; (2) a multi-purpose recreation arena; (3) a fitness center; (4) a community room, and (5) an educational/technology center. Within each of these areas, multiple activities have been identified for further development. The Aquatic Center (Main Level) will focus not only on general swimming but also on competitive swimming, rehabilitation, and other types of water activities. North Country Hospital and Health Center, Inc. has committed to using the Aquatic Center on a regular basis for those patients whose rehabilitation program would benefit from hydrotherapy. The Multi-purpose Recreation Arena (Main Level) has been designed specifically to allow for flexibility in activities. The floor plan for this area includes three regulation-size high school basketball courts that can be converted (almost instantaneously) to accommodate indoor soccer, in-line skating, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis and badminton. The multi-purpose area includes seating for 500 spectators and will serve the anticipated demand for general recreation as well as league and tournament play. A walking track will surround the multi-purpose floor area. The design of the multi-purpose area will allow for specialty shows (home, garden, auto, for example) and concerts. A 2,100 sq. ft. Fitness Center will offer cardiovascular training and exercise, aerobics instruction, fitness training, muscle toning, and body building activities to interested individuals on a membership basis. North Country Hospital and Health Center, Inc. has also committed to using the Fitness Center on a regular basis for its rehabilitation and wellness programs. IROC's Mezzanine Level will contain a 4,200 square foot multi-purpose Lloyd Selby Community Room designed to accommodate meetings, dances, special events, educational programs and seminars, and other community- based activities. The Mezzanine Level will also house an Educational/Technology Center equipped with state-of-the-art computers and other multi-media materials. Designed for such educational purposes as after-school tutoring, computer training, employment and training seminars, and other related activities, the programs in the Technology Center will focus on youth. In addition, the Mezzanine Level will contain a Meeting Room that will be made available, as needed and as a public service, to area non- profit organizations in need of meeting space. To date, the IROC Board of Directors has been able to secure and purchase a ten-acre parcel of land in Derby, Vermont, erect a 54,000 square foot steel building on the site, and initiate the interior build-out of the facility. All of this has been made possible through the generosity of local northeastern Vermonters, whose cash and in-kind contributions to date total over $2.5 million, a remarkable achievement, given the region's poor economy. As you all know, Vermont is a beautiful state, and the Northeast Kingdom represents one of its loveliest regions. All of the natural beauty in the area provides a wonderful place to live and a special place to spend a vacation. After our many summer visitors leave, however, and before the snow arrives, our year-round residents settle into their fall and winter routines. Off-season unemployment rebounds, and local residents look for activities to occupy the long cold nights and short days. There is an international ice youth hockey program--Border Minor Hockey--and there is, of course, the usual array of school-based sports programs. But those programs reach only a small percentage of the population. Youth, working adults, and the community beyond school age are largely left out of the picture. The residents of the Northeast Kingdom have recognized this need; they have organized themselves; and they are supporting IROC to respond to the region's needs. When the facility is opened later this year, IROC will deliver indoor recreation, educational opportunities, rehabilitation services, and many related community activities to the citizens of Vermont. When IROC is fully operational, over 30 full-time equivalent jobs will have been created in a region that is sorely in need of increased employment opportunities. This has not happened overnight. In fact, it has taken nearly 16 years for IROC to get where it is today. I am pleased to report, however, that as we stand here today, the process that began in 1988 is nearly complete. Funds are still being raised to finish the interior as originally designed, and program grant proposals are being written to fund the educational and community activities that will take place in the building. I am proud to say that my office has been able to secure almost $340,000 in federal funding to support IROC through the Economic Development Initiative at the Department of Housing & Urban Development and the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice. Mr. Speaker, IROC is an organization that is having an immensely positive effect on this area of Vermont. Once this community center is built, it should serve as a national model for building indoor community recreation centers throughout Vermont and the rest of the country. To accomplish that goal, I have introduced H.R. 1022, the Urban and Rural Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Act. H.R. 1022 would provide $100 million in federal funding for the construction of community centers in rural and urban areas to reduce obesity and prevent disease and currently has over 20 co-sponsors. The residents of this most rural area of the state have shown true Vermont spirit by supporting this project through their financial and in-kind investments and through their extraordinary volunteer activities. The Vermont National Guard contributed over a week of in- kind labor (valued at $200,000) to help with building construction. Local businesses have provided materials and labor as gifts. The community raised over $226,000 in a three-week period in response to a challenge grant made in 2003 by a former area resident. And these are only a few examples of how the community has participated in building IROC! The final fund raising efforts for the Aquatic Center and rehabilitation area are going forward. The facility will open in the fall, and memberships will soon be available. Built on a sound business model, IROC will be self-supporting, and this exemplary organization represents just one more example of the ``we can grow our own'' spirit of the hardy residents of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties. Mr. Speaker, Esteemed Colleagues, please join me as I commend and recognize the members of the Board of Directors, staff, and other citizens of Vermont who have made this project possible. 2004-2005 Board of Directors Officers: Robert E. Smith, PhD, President (Newport, Vermont), RE Smith Consulting, Inc.; Edmond A. Cantwell, Vice President (Newport, Vermont), Corporal, Vermont State Police; Terrie McQuillen, Treasurer (Derby, Vermont), Vice President, Community National Bank; Laurie Stewart, RN, Secretary (Newport, Vermont), Occupational Therapist, North Country Hospital System, Inc. Members: Dawn Brainard (Holland, Vermont), Owner/President, Memphremagog Press Printers, Inc.; Anita Gariepy (Newport, Vermont), Homemaker; Conrad Grims (Derby, Vermont), Wilson & White, LLC; Harold Limlaw (Newport, Vermont), Newport Center Elementary School; Patrick Martell (Newport, Vermont), Co- Owner, Al's Snowmobile, Inc. & President, Newport Chamber of Commerce; Ronald Quigley (Newport, Vermont), Consultant, Former CEO, Butterfield's, Inc. Staff: James G. Davis (Lyndonville, Vermont), Executive Director; Patricia Chmielecki (Irasburg, Vermont), Administrative Assistant.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 6 minutes. Mr. Chairman, this tripartisan amendment has widespread support across the ideological spectrum, from Democrats and Republicans, from progressives, conservatives to moderates. It is being cosponsored today by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul), the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). It also enjoys the support of the AFL-CIO, the Teamsters, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Citizen Works and other national organizations. Mr. Chairman, in a very profound way this amendment deals with the issue of patriotism, love of country and respect for the American people. At a time when our country is at war and young Americans are dying almost every day, at a time when our country has a $7 trillion national debt and when veterans are unable to get the health care that they need, this amendment asks a very simple question: Should the middle class of this country, people who work hard, love their country and pay their fair share of taxes, be asked to provide billions in loan guarantees to corporate expatriates, U.S. companies who set up phony headquarters abroad in order to avoid paying U.S. taxes? That is what this amendment is all about. Mr. Chairman, enough is enough. The American people are growing sick and tired of large corporations throwing American workers out on the streets as they move to China, to India and to other low-wage countries; and they are equally outraged by companies who come begging to Washington for corporate welfare and taxpayer dollars while they move to tax-haven countries in order to avoid their tax obligations here. Oh, they do not want to pay taxes in America, not them. That is for the suckers of this country. That is what they say, but they sure do want the taxpayers to help them out with corporate welfare. That is okay. This amendment will begin the process of putting an end to that absurdity. I fully concede that this amendment is not going to solve this problem completely, no question about that, but its passage will be a shot across the bow to every corporation in America who thinks that they will be able to continue to rip off the taxpayers of this country with impunity. It will, in fact, make some companies think twice before they run to Bermuda or to Panama or to the Cayman Islands in order to avoid paying American taxes. Specifically, Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit the Export- Import Bank from approving subsidized loan guarantees to corporate expatriates, companies who were formerly located in the United States but who have set up paper headquarters abroad in tax-haven countries in order to avoid paying taxes here. Mr. Chairman, what every Member of Congress should know is that five out of the top 23 largest recipients of Export-Import Bank assistance since 2003 are corporate expatriates that have set up sham headquarters and post office boxes in places like Bermuda, Barbados and the Cayman Islands for the sole purpose of avoiding U.S. taxes. Mr. Chairman, it is bad enough corporate expatriates are abandoning this country to dodge taxes, but it is unconscionable that these companies then turn around and seek U.S. taxpayer assistance through the U.S. Export- Import Bank, forcing middle-class families to pick up the tab. Companies that dodge U.S. taxes should not be rewarded with taxpayer subsidies through the Export-Import Bank. Mr. Chairman, we are talking about substantial dollars here. Let me give my colleagues some examples of what I am talking about. Tyco International, everybody will remember Tyco International, one of the poster children for corporate greed, saved $400 million in U.S. taxes by reincorporating in Bermuda in 1997. What was the response of the Export-Import Bank to this deliberate attempt to avoid paying their fair share of taxes? What did they do when Tyco moved to Bermuda? Well, they gave Tyco $115 million in assistance since 1998. That is absurd. In 2002, Ingersoll-Rand saved up to $60 million in U.S. taxes by reincorporating in Bermuda. Since 2002, this tax-dodging company received over $370 million in subsidized loans, loan guarantees and other financial assistance from the Export-Import Bank. In 2002, Nabors Industry saved $10 million in taxes by reincorporating in Bermuda. Since that year, it has received over $300 million in taxpayer-backed financial assistance through the Export- Import Bank. Mr. Chairman, the time is now to say enough is enough. If corporations want to move to Bermuda and disown the United States, that is their right, but they do not have a right to then come back to the taxpayers of this country and ask the United States Congress and the Export-Import Bank to give them substantial sums of money. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the remainder of my time.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), for yielding me time. I rise in strong opposition to this agreement. It seems to me that before we rush into yet another free trade agreement we should spend a little bit of time assessing the horrendous impact that past free trade agreements have had on the middle class and working families of this country. If you have a policy which is failing, failing and failing, why do you want to continue going along that path? Mr. Speaker, for many years now, corporate America and the big money interests have told us how good unfettered free trade would be if they spent a fortune getting these agreements passed. What they forgot to tell us is that while these free trade agreements are in fact good for the big corporations and their well-paid CEOs, they have been a disaster for the middle class and working families of our country. The reality is, despite tremendous increases in technology and productivity, the average American today is working longer hours for lower wages. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider, and poverty is increasing. The middle class in America is collapsing, and unfettered free trade is one of the reasons. In the last 3 years alone, we have lost 2.7 million good manufacturing jobs, over 16 percent of the total, and now after the collapse of manufacturing we are beginning to see the hemorrhaging of good-paying information technology jobs. While large corporations throw American workers out on the streets and move to China, India, Mexico and other low-wage countries, the new jobs being created here for our people are mostly low wage with minimal benefits. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7 out of 10 of the fastest-growing professions in the next 10 years are going to be with high school degrees, minimal benefits, lower wages. Is that the future that we want for our country? To add insult to injury, Mr. Chairman, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, the leader of our country's big business organization, has urged, has urged American companies to send our jobs overseas. Urged them. That is the kind of contempt that corporate America has for the working families of this country. By continuing to pass unfettered free trade agreements, we accommodate Mr. Donohue's goal; and we will see the loss of more and more good-paying jobs in this country. I understand that Australia is not China, and I understand that workers there earn comparable wages, and I understand they do not go to jail when they stand up for their rights, and we could perhaps negotiate good agreements here and there with Australia, but an unfettered free trade agreement is not good. Let me conclude by mentioning two specific objections I have. Number one, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is right about reimportation and prescription drugs. I worry very much about the precedent, if we want to lower prescription drug costs in this country by this agreement. Second of all, dairy farmers in Vermont, New England and America will be significantly and negatively impacted by the importation of a lot of dairy products over the years from Australia.

Mr. SANDERS

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. SANDERS. I thank the chairman very much. If I may just very briefly tell the Members what the amendment is. I very much appreciate the chairman's support for this amendment. I know the ranking member is also supportive. Mr. Chairman, all over rural America, we are seeing the decline of family-based agriculture. And while we want to look at the broader picture as to how we can help family farmers in dairy or in any other commodity, I think one way that we can move forward, and I am glad that the majority agrees, is to start emphasizing agritourism. All over this country, in Vermont and in rural America, billions of dollars are being spent by tourists who go to rural areas. Yet, unfortunately, family farmers who in most cases are the folks who are keeping the land open and keeping the land beautiful are not receiving the kinds of funds from the tourists that they should and that they deserve. To my mind, as we see the decline of family-based agriculture, what we are seeing in Vermont and all over this country is that agritourism is putting hard cash into the pockets of family farmers. Mr. Chairman, from the experience of my own State, I can tell the Members that there is a lot of support for agritourism nationwide, and I know that there is in this body in a bipartisan way. My own State of Vermont has been working on this concept for many years now, in part with funding provided by the USDA some years ago. Some of the successes of Vermont's agritourism model include on-farm technical assistance in using the Internet and helping farmers get business through the Internet, setting up cooperative marketing with various commodity groups, the Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Departments of Tourism and Agriculture. In addition, a regional marketing Web site was established that received over 40,000 hits in any average month. Vermont's agritourism initiative was highlighted by the travel book company Frommer's. In addition, the six New England States held an agritourism summit to coordinate their efforts in this area. So, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman of the committee and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for their support of the concept of agritourism, and I very much appreciate that. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time