mr. speaker , i rise today in support of h. j. res. 27 , which would withdraw the united states from further participation in the world trade organization ( wto ) . 
i do so not because i am against international institutions , or even the stated purpose of the wto . 
i am voting yes today to voice my opposition to u.s. trade policies that continue to augment the `` race to the bottom '' international trade culture that has sent good-paying american jobs overseas in pursuit of ever-lower wages and lax labor and environmental standards . 
instead of pursuing policies that lift up and improve the lives of workers in this country and around the world , we have crippled u.s. communities while enabling the exploitation of foreign workforces . 
i believe congress must send a strong signal to the current administration that the past ten years have demonstrated the serious failures of u.s. trade policy . 
in light of our massive trade deficit , loss of manufacturing jobs and the ongoing currency manipulation by foreign countries , my vote today supports the hard working families in america . 
to have fair , sustainable , and balanced international trade , we need a fundamental review of u.s. international trade policies , and congress and the bush administration should take this opportunity to lead this effort . 
there are serious national security considerations inherent in our trade policy , and i believe we ignore these ramifications at our own risk . 
our social fabric is also endangered -- as jobs leave the country , as people that have worked hard their entire lives lose their pensions and healthcare , what are these families to do ? 
what made the u.s. the greatest country in the world is the ability of high school educated americans to make a good living in the manufacturing and industrial sectors . 
these jobs increasingly have moved overseas , and it is hard to support a family on service sector wages . 
meanwhile , i have tried twice in the last year to pass an amendment to simply study the issue of the outsourcing of american jobs , and have twice been defeated on close votes . 
mr. speaker , voting yes today will not solve these problems , but it will signal that we will reevaluate the trade policy of this nation . 
i urge my colleagues to undertake this work and vote yes on h. j. res. 27 . 
