mr. speaker , i rise to support house joint resolution 27 to withdraw the united states from the world trade organization .  the wto is not about free trade or fair trade .  it is about corporate power .  wto rules allow america 's labor , environmental and public interest laws to be challenged by multinational corporations seeking profits and power .  other countries have also seen their domestic laws challenged in order to expand corporate power .  the wto sacrifices the rights of workers , the protection of the environment and the health and safety of working families .  wto rules support corporations to move their operations from one country to another in search of the cheapest labor and the least government regulation .  if a country enacts a minimum wage law , a corporation that does not want to pay a decent wage can simply move its factory to another country .  if workers in that country organize a labor union , the corporation can move the factory to a third country .  many corporations prefer to operate in countries such as the people 's republic of china , which outlaw independent labor organizations .  the wto has no restrictions on sweatshops , child labor , prison labor or slave labor .  wto rules promote investment opportunities for multinational corporations without regard to their impact on workers , the environment or the public interest .  countries ' labor , health and environmental laws can be challenged if they have a side effect of restricting trade .  in the 10 years since the wto was established , a wide variety of u.s. and foreign laws have been challenged .  with only two exceptions , every health , food safety and environmental law challenged at the wto has been ruled illegal .  meanwhile , multinational pharmaceutical companies have used wto intellectual property rules to deny poor countries the right to provide live-saving medicine to people with terrible diseases like hiv and aids .  they tried it with brazil .  the world protest against the attempt to keep brazil from using generic drugs to save lives , prevent hiv and aids was fought off because of the protest , and they had to back down .  but look what they did in south africa .  i wish i had time to tell my colleagues about it .  in 42 out of the 48 completed cases brought against the united states , the wto has labeled u.s. laws illegal .  u.s. laws ruled illegal by wto include tax laws , anti-dumping laws , sea turtle protections and clean air rules .  and when the wto ruled in favor of the united states in a case on bananas , it was to benefit who ?  a large corporation , chiquita , that has now driven grenada and some of these small countries into poverty .  we do not produce any bananas here in the united states .  we protected chiquita , who mistreats its workers in central america , and we put small caribbean farmers out of work .  mr. speaker , after the wto rules a country 's laws illegal , the wto authorizes economic sanctions that cost the country millions of dollars .  these sanctions put small businesses out of business and workers out of work .  history has proven that the wto does not prevent trade wars .  it authorizes trade wars .  the wto puts profits of the world 's wealthiest and most powerful corporations ahead of the health , safety and welfare and well-being of working families .  i urge my colleagues to support the wto withdrawal resolution .  it 's time to stop the global expansion of corporate power and put working families first .  