mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman from florida for yielding me this time , and i want to associate myself with his remarks , and i appreciate his leadership on this . 
mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to the resolution calling for the u.s. withdrawal from the world trade organization . 
the wto is the most important international organization that governs world trade . 
decisions are made by the member countries . 
the wto has 148 members and 31 observer governments , many of those , most of those are applicants for membership . 
its members represent over 95 percent of world trade . 
trade agreements administered by the wto cover a broad range of goods and services trade and apply to virtually all government practices that directly relate to trade ; for example , tariffs , subsidies , government procurement , and trade-related intellectual property rights . 
u.s. membership and leadership in the world trade organization is essential . 
it is definitely in our national and our political and our economic interests to continue to be a member . 
our membership translates into real economic growth in this country , as the gentleman from florida very correctly said . 
during the 10 years of u.s. participation in the wto , international trade and investment have been important forces driving our impressive economic growth . 
over that period , trade accounted for one-quarter of all u.s. economic growth and supported an estimated 12 million jobs . 
furthermore , trade promotes economic competition , which keeps inflation low . 
now , let me take just one moment to rebut an all-too-often made allegation against u.s. membership in the wto , namely , that membership is a violation of u.s. sovereignty and the u.s. constitution . 
wto dispute panels can not overturn or change u.s. federal , state , or local laws . 
they have no authority to change a u.s. law or to require the united states or any state or local government to change its laws or decisions . 
only the federal or state governments can change a federal or state law . 
if a u.s. law is inconsistent with the wto , our trading partners may withdraw trade benefits of equivalent effect . 
however , under trade agreement rules , the united states retains complete sovereignty in its decision of how to respond to any panel decision against it . 
that was made abundantly clear the last several years as congress grappled with changes to our corporate tax structures for foreign sales corporations , or fsc , to accommodate commitments we have made to our trading partners . 
only congress could make those changes to the law as we grapple , and we grappled , with that . 
those who falsely portray the wto as a violation of u.s. sovereignty are ones who simply want an unfettered ability to preserve or create more protectionism . 
i urge my colleagues to vote against this resolution and to continue the u.s. membership in the world trade organization . 
