Mr. Speaker, I rise today in staunch opposition to the outsourcing of American national security. In the current climate, our national security must be paramount and we have an obligation to our constituents to make every effort to protect our homeland. As the Bush Administration recently learned, outsourcing the operations of our ports is a dangerous path and poses serious security concerns and grave implications for the safety of our nation. Fortunately, the proposed sale of American seaports to Dubai Ports World, the government-owned company based in the United Arab Emirates, appears to have been stopped. But we must remain vigilant to prevent this potentially dangerous outsourcing of America.

The haphazard attitude towards American security policy that was on display in the Dubai Ports debacle, takes America backwards in our fight with terrorists. In a post 9/11 world, handing over management and daily operations to a country that funneled money to the 9/11 hijackers, served as a transfer point of nuclear components to Iran, Libya, and North Korea, and continues to participate in the boycott against Israel, is unwise at best.

In the last few weeks, I received hundreds of emails, letters, and phone calls from extremely alarmed and angry constituents about this transaction. As I meet people all across my district, they are asking, "Is American security for sale?"

It is clear to me that the Administration only gave the Dubai Ports deal a cursory look before approving it in January. We should institute a mandatory review of all foreign transactions that could impact national security, requiring the President to notify Congress, and ensuring that Congress has a role in vetting the proposed foreign takeover. The CFIUS review process is in need of major reform, especially if they intend to take America down this spiraling path.

This controversy also brings to the forefront the enormous concerns that surround port security in our country. Even after 9/11, only six percent of containers entering our ports are screened, and the Administration has failed to develop container security standards. The President's 2007 Budget eliminates port security grants and there are still no minimum security standards for containers entering the United States. Seventy-five percent of our ports do not even have the capacity to screen containers for weapons of mass destruction. We must build a comprehensive port security system that closes these loopholes and strengthens safeguards.

But it should come as no surprise that America has begun to outsource our national security, since we continue to promote policies that encourage businesses to ship jobs overseas. Outsourcing comes with substantial costs to the American public and is reflected in our record trade deficit of 725 billion dollars in 2005.

Hundreds of thousands of American jobs continue to be shipped overseas. From accountants and computer programmers to factory personnel, American workers are losing their jobs because companies are outsourcing their production so they can hire low-wage workers abroad and not have to follow meaningful labor laws or environmental protections.

Manufacturing has been particularly hard hit. My district has lost thousands and thousands of manufacturing jobs, and the losses continue. These are good-paying jobs that have built the middle class in our country, the middle class which is the backbone of America. Some say that these job losses are insignificant because these are old industries that should be allowed to disappear in America. I could not disagree more. We must act now to help manufacturers keep jobs in this country. When these jobs are lost, not only do families suffer, but our national security suffers because we lose the ability to manufacture goods that are critical to the defense of our country.

Today, many companies that ship jobs to other countries receive federal tax breaks. This means that the current tax code actually encourages companies to move their production centers out of the U.S. to cut costs. We must end these tax breaks and instead cut taxes for companies that keep American jobs here in the U.S. These cuts will encourage companies to maintain factories and preserve jobs here, and give them the capital they need to grow and fuel our economy.

Mr. Speaker, first it was manufacturing, then high tech, and now our security that is being sold to the highest bidder. We cannot allow this to continue. We must protect America's families by defending our national security and preserving and growing American jobs. America must not be sold out.