mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to h.r. 4340 , the bahrain trade agreement . 
although our trade with bahrain is limited , this agreement is a symptom of what is wrong with our nation 's trade policies . 
i firmly believe that we should have a thorough review of the impact of these free trade agreements so that we can create a national trade policy that protects the american manufacturing industries . 
we need an american trade policy that encourages the export of american manufactured goods , not our american manufacturing jobs . 
mr. speaker , that is why i have introduced h.r. 4407 , a bill to impose a 2-year moratorium on negotiating or conclusion of any additional free trade agreements . 
as our trade deficit continues to set new records , we should call a `timeout ' on this headlong rush into these free trade agreements . 
our current domestic trade policy encourages the closing down of american factories and moving them overseas , usually to a country where wages are low and environmental standards are lower . 
this race to the bottom has real consequences , and it 's time to stop negotiating bad trade deals that make american jobs our leading export . 
for years , the american people have been promised that bilateral and regional trade agreements would throw open the doors of international markets eager for american goods . 
however , in the 10 years following passage of the north american free trade agreement ( nafta ) , which i opposed , millions of american jobs have been lost , threatening entire industries that were once bedrocks of this country . 
and china and japan continue to manipulate their currencies without any significant pressure from our government , tilting an already uneven playing field further away from america . 
nearly three million manufacturing jobs have been lost since the bush administration took office in 2001 . 
in 2004 , the united states had a record $ 162 billion deficit on goods trade with china and a $ 617 billion trade deficit on goods and services worldwide . 
eliminating tariffs and allowing companies to exploit foreign labor has destroyed entire american industries and has resulted in the highest american trade deficit ever , placing america at a huge economic disadvantage . 
mr speaker , our current trade policies have failed the american worker and the average american family . 
we can not continue to the hemorrhaging of our manufacturing jobs and expect our economy to be strong . 
mr. speaker , i urge my colleagues to vote no on this free trade agreement with bahrain , and any free trade agreements in the future , until we can create an american trade policy that is in the best interests of the american people . 
