Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing, and I want to thank Secretary Evans for joining us today. Since January of 2001, Michigan has lost over 128,000 manufacturing jobs. This number -- though staggering by itself -- is just a portion of the 2.8 million manufacturing jobs that have been lost across the Nation. This is a serious matter that deserves serious attention.

Unfortunately, the only attention this Administration seems willing to give is to debate esoteric trade theories from years gone by. The only proposals this Administration produces involve manipulating statistics and redefining manufacturing so the job loss will not appear to be as great as it really is. And most recently, since the Administration apparently has nothing else to say on the subject, it has taken to name calling. Well, from where I am sitting, it seems the only isolationists in this debate are the ones in the White House, and they are isolated from the realities of this economy.

The American people want to hear that we understand what is happening in the real world. They want to know what we are doing to help them earn an honest living and support their families. So I would like to discuss a few of those issues, and I hope that this Committee will continue to explore them as the year progresses.

First, everyone today is talking about "outsourcing." Let's call it what it is: exporting jobs. It used to be that only manufacturing jobs were at risk, but now white-collar positions such as accounting are being exported to countries with lower wages. Most recently, the Tennessee Valley Authority -- a highly successful New Deal program to create jobs -- has considered exporting jobs to other countries. This is preposterous.

Second, small and mid-sized manufacturers are an integral part of the domestic economy, and they need assistance to compete more effectively on the world stage. Many of the parts and components that go into an automobile are manufactured by small businesses. We should be expanding programs in the Department of Commerce such as the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Advanced Technology Program. Instead, this Administration has continually proposed cutting these successful manufacturing assistance programs.

Third, American businesses and American workers deserve a government that pursues a policy of fair trade. Countries, such as China, that artificially lower their currency and allow deplorable labor practices, have an unfair trade advantage over American companies that do the right thing. And when it's necessary, the United States should protect domestic manufacturing that is vital to its national security. For some to assert that this is unpatriotic is political grandstanding at its worst.

Fourth, the cost of health care in this country is out of control. It places an unnecessary burden on American companies and places them at a competitive disadvantage. Estimates are that $1,200 to $1,400 of every American automobile sold goes toward the health care costs that the company carries for its workers and retirees. When other industrialized nations subsidize some -- and in many cases all -- of their worker health care costs, American companies who are doing the right thing are disadvantaged. The Federal Government can and should do more.

Lastly, American workers and American businesses deserve honesty. They do not need distorted predictions of job growth that supposedly will result from knee-jerk tax cuts for the wealthiest in our society. The evidence and the facts are clear: the tax cuts for the wealthy have not created jobs, and every prediction by this Administration of job creation has widely missed the mark.

I hope that we can have a serious discussion today, and that we can focus on the real issues facing Americans. I look forward to hearing the testimony of our distinguished witness. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.