madam speaker , i rise today in opposition to h.r. 3283 , the so-called united states trade rights enforcement act . 
this bill purports to address china 's lax enforcement of its international trade obligations . 
in fact , this bill does little to address serious trade issues with china , and it is on the house floor for only one reason : to garner votes for cafta later this week . 
there is no question that congress should do everything in its power to enforce trade rights worldwide . 
however , giving lip service to an issue that deserves our careful consideration and strong action is a grave disservice to the american people . 
what we should be talking about today is the bush administration 's continued failure to decrease our trade deficits and promote labor rights , environmental standards and public health protections with our trading partners . 
let 's look at the facts : in 2004 , the u.s. trade deficit with china grew to a record $ 162 billion . 
this despite the fact that china joined the world trade organization , wto , in 2001 and should be well on its way to reducing trade barriers and opening up their markets to u.s. goods and services . 
even the united states trade representative has said that china 's wto compliance efforts are `` far from complete and have not always been satisfactory. '' given these facts , i support strong trade enforcement against china . 
i am a cosponsor of h.r. 1498 , the chinese currency act , which would allow the administration to impose countervailing duties due to china 's continued currency manipulation . 
the bill has 110 bipartisan cosponsors and provides real enforcement mechanisms , instead of the studies and redefinitions offered by h.r. 3283 . 
if the leadership were serious about china we would be voting on this meaningful legislation today . 
but , that is not the case . 
madam speaker , we have known about trade enforcement issues in china for years . 
but china legislation magically appears only now that cafta is in trouble . 
i urge my colleagues to vote against this sham bill . 
