mr. speaker , i rise today in opposition to house joint resolution 27 . 
withdrawing from the world trade organization ( wto ) would be an abandonment of america 's leadership in trade and an economic disaster for our nation . 
for decades , the united states has been the leading voice in the world for the free market system and economic cooperation among nations because capitalism works for america . 
we were one of the founders of the general agreement on tariffs and trade as well as its successor , the wto . 
america has consistently pushed for a rational , rules-based approach in dealing with international trade because we know our unique , competitive , vibrant , and innovative economy will allow most u.s. economic sectors to compete successfully against any nation provided we have a fair playing field and open access to foreign markets . 
if we abandon the wto , we abandon those years of leadership in trade . 
do we want the europeans or the japanese to be the economic model other nations look to emulate ? 
do we really want them to decide the rules by which the rest of the world economy will run ? 
if we shut ourselves out of the process , we put our farmers , manufacturers , businesses , an workers at a strategic disadvantage compared to others in the world . 
north carolina 's economy depends on exports , and we need to break down barriers to overseas markets so that our technology , agriculture , manufacturing and other sectors can expand on our progress in international competition . 
studies show that one in five manufacturing jobs in north carolina depend on exports . 
these jobs on average pay 13-18 percent more than the u.s. average . 
every $ 1 billion in exports creates 20 , 000 jobs in the united states . 
the united states represents only 4.7 percent of the world population . 
if we want our economy to continue to grow , we need to be able to sell to the other 95.3 percent of the world . 
the wto , for all its flaws and faults , remains the best venue for leveling the playing field and gaining access to new markets . 
that is why i urge my colleagues to vote down this resolution . 
