Washington, DC
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, joined other Democratic congressional trade leaders this week in calling on the Trump administration to demonstrate its commitment to trade-related labor enforcement by ending foreign practices that critics say can undercut American jobs and workers.
Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Members Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-New Jersey, in outlining steps administration officials should take to “stop the race to the bottom on wages and working conditions.”
Contending that enforcement of international labor rules “is a crucial component of any strategy to level the playing field for American workers,” they called on Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to immediately take major action to address trade-related labor violations overseas.
Specifically, they urged officials to: end cuts to labor enforcement staff and resources and use congressionally authorized enforcement dollars; seek ambitious, enforceable commitments from Mexico on labor rights as part of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations; and take enforcement actions against countries that fail to comply with labor obligations.
The White House made the surprise announcement in a read-out of calls between Trump, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Noting that federal agencies are due to issue decisions on those three key labor enforcement matters in the next month, the Democrats argued that the administration’s response will indicate its commitment to ensuring labor protections — something President Donald Trump pledged to address throughout his 2016 campaign.
“How the administration addresses these issues will, in our judgement, clearly indicate whether it is truly committed to leveling the playing field for American workers or whether it is content to stand by and allow U.S. wages and working conditions to be eroded by foreign labor practices,” they wrote in a Tuesday letter to administration officials.
Without such enforcement, the lawmakers added, “American workers are forced to compete against imports made with slave and child labor, or otherwise produced by workers facing deplorable conditions overseas.”
They urged officials to submit their respective agency overhaul plans and budget proposals to the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, which oversee trade-related labor enforcement matters.
The Democrats further asked them to provide updated information on NAFTA-related labor proposals and actions on country-specific matters over the next month.
Following through on his campaign trail promise to push an “America first” agenda, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that aims to promote American businesses and bring jobs back to the U.S.
The president signed two executive orders in April that White House officials said aim to hold importers accountable and to begin a comprehensive review of America’s trade deficits and violations of trade rules that harm the U.S.
Trump made preserving U.S. manufacturing and other jobs a major tenet of his presidential campaign, telling Connecticut voters in April 2016 that he would help put more people back to work in the state and across the country.
