Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
07/12/2007
Pelosi: We Must Do More to Expand the Benefits of Globalization for All Americans
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi participated in a
roundtable discussion hosted by Congressman Barney Frank, Chairman of the House Financial
Services Committee, today at a forum on globalization, outsourcing, and the
American worker. Below are Pelosi’s opening remarks:
“Thank you, Chairman Frank, for organizing this roundtable
discussion on an issue of such critical importance to working families.
“The ingenuity and innovative spirit of the American people
has always been our greatest asset. In
recent years, our increasingly global market has brought many opportunities,
but has also created unprecedented challenges in how we address the increased
economic insecurity faced by many working families.
“The American people want to know what we’re doing about
their economic security. Democrats are committed to expanding opportunities for
American workers, businesses, and farmers.
This will require a renewed commitment to investing in our future –
through education and innovation, while at the same time strengthening our
nation’s safety net.
“Democrats have already moved ahead with our Innovation
Agenda, Our Commitment to Keeping America’s Economy Number One. In May, we passed a key component of the
Innovation Agenda, the 21st Century Competitiveness Act. And, just yesterday,
we passed a college affordability bill that represents the single largest
increase in financial aid since the GI Bill of Rights – an $18 billion increase
in college aid over the next five years without adding a single penny to the
deficit.
“We have also forged a new consensus on trade – where for
the first time enforceable, basic labor rights and environmental standards will
be included in free trade agreements negotiated by the Bush administration,
ensuring that that our trading partners do not lure American jobs abroad
through the use of child and slave labor or by lax environmental standards
“While we have made progress, much more needs to be done
toward increasing our competitiveness and expanding the benefits of
globalization for all Americans.
“In the coming months, Democrats will continue to lay out a positive agenda that addresses these challenges and today’s discussion will play a critical role in exploring new approaches to ensuring future economic growth and economic security for America’s families."