Responding to Bass's Defense of Outsourcing,
Kuster Offers Outsourcing Prevention Plan
Two television ads to highlight key difference between candidates
CONCORD, NH - In response to a new statement from Congressman Bass in which he defends the practice of outsourcing American jobs, Ann McLane Kuster on Wednesday released her plan to combat the outsourcing of jobs to China and India, and she released two television ads on the subject.
At a debate on Thursday, Bass cited a former Bush economic advisor claiming, "For every single job that is outsourced in America, two new jobs are created." [AARP debate, 10/14/2010]
"Nearly 40,000 of our neighbors in New Hampshire are unemployed," said Kuster. "By Congressman Bass' logic shipping 20,000 more US jobs overseas will put them all back to work. Only people like Congressman Bass, who have spent way too long in Washington, believe that kind of nonsense."
"I completely disagree with Congressman Bass's impassioned defense of outsourcing, and with his votes to protect tax loopholes that reward companies for sending American jobs overseas. Instead of helping companies outsource jobs to India and China, we should be helping them grow good jobs here at home."
Kuster's four-part plan would (1) close tax loopholes that Bass voted for which reward corporations for sending jobs overseas; (2) incentivize the creation of domestic jobs; (3) ensure trade agreements are fair to American workers and (4) combat China's manipulation of its currency.
Pointing to the 16,000 jobs New Hampshire lost to China alone between 2001 and 2008 - a higher percentage than any other state in the country - Kuster on Wednesday said Bass was out of touch with New Hampshire families struggling to make ends meet.
To emphasize the difference between her pro-jobs plan and Bass's support for outsourcing, Kuster released two new television advertisements Wednesday. The first, called "Whoa," notes that New Hampshire has lost more jobs to China than any other state. It includes footage of Bass arguing that for every job outsourced, two are created. The second, called "Get Real," which aired previously in August, highlights the struggle of Groveton resident Brian Bresnahan, who spent 13 years working at Wausau Paper - and then was laid off when the mill closed as the paper industry suffered against unfair Chinese trade practices.
Joining Kuster during Wednesday's conference call, Bresnahan called Bass out of touch with economic realities in the North Country - and throughout New Hampshire.
"Congressman Bass just doesn't get it. If every job outsourced creates two new jobs in New Hampshire, where are my two jobs?" he said. "Annie Kuster's plan will turn the tide against Washington policies that are killing jobs in New Hampshire. Charlie Bass will just bring more of the same."
Kuster's four-part Outsourcing Prevention Plan calls on Congress to:
1. Close tax loopholes that encourage U.S. corporations to send U.S. manufacturing and service jobs overseas. Current tax law allows corporations to "defer" payment of taxes owed to the American people on overseas profits, take deductions on the expenses associated with shipping American jobs abroad and secure breaks for taxes to other countries that are often never paid. Kuster would reform the tax code to ensure that U.S. companies are pull their weight, pay their taxes on profits the year they are made and no longer receive perverse, job-killing tax deductions for expenses related to shipping jobs overseas.
2. Create meaningful incentives to encourage U.S. business to keep and create jobs in New Hampshire. Responsible business owners want to create and keep jobs in the communities in which they live and work. Kuster would extend, strengthen and target the HIRE Act, which President Obama signed into law this year, to specifically combat outsourcing and provide one-time tax incentives to companies that bring previously outsourced jobs back to the U.S. and keep them here for at least five years.
3. Support and advance "fair" trade agreements between the United States and the rest of the world. The results of many free trade agreements over the last two decades have yield mixed results at best - with access to new markets and economic benefits all too often coming at the expense of U.S. jobs and essential labor and environmental protections. Kuster would only support new trade agreements that would not contribute to increasing income inequity, limiting the organizing and collective bargaining power of unions and environmental degradation in both the United States and the other countries party to the pacts.
4. Push the Chinese to properly value their currency against the U.S. Dollar. China's unfair manipulation of its currency violates key trade agreements with the United States, makes it more profitable for U.S. companies to outsource manufacturing jobs to China and limits our ability to create and sell goods to Chinese consumers. Kuster supports legislation, such as the Currency Reform Fair Trade Act, that will allow the U.S. Commerce Department to respond to foreign currency manipulation with countervailing and anti-dumping duties.
*** FULL SCRIPT OF "Whoa": ***
BASS: "For every single job that's outsourced in America - two new jobs are created." [Concord Debate, 10/14/2010]
ANNOUNCER: "Whoa. Charlie Bass thinks outsourcing jobs is good for New Hampshire? No wonder Bass voted to give China special trade privileges. And for tax breaks that encourage shipping jobs overseas."
KUSTER: "I'm Annie Kuster and I approved this message because my priorities are right here. Close tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs overseas... And make New Hampshire the hub of clean energy to create new jobs, now."
Link to "Whoa": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
*** FULL SCRIPT OF "GET REAL" ***
ANNOUNCER: "Brian got up every day. Worked hard. The same job for 13 years. So when the mills shut down and jobs moved to China, it was devastating."
KUSTER: "I'm Annie Kuster, and enough is enough."
ANNOUNCER: "Kuster's plan? End tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Provide tax incentives to small business and companies that create jobs here at home."
KUSTER: "I'm Annie Kuster, and I approved this message because it's time to get real about jobs."
Link to "Get Real": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
*** FACT SHEET ***
NH Top State in Job Losses to China. "A recent study shows New Hampshire lost a higher percentage of jobs to China in the last decade than any other state" [Union Leader, April 7, 2010] "Measuring job loss as a share of total state employment, New Hampshire lost the most jobs, followed by North Carolina, Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. The 16,300 jobs New Hampshire lost represent 2.35% of total state employment." http://www.epi.org/publication...
US Paper Industry Devastated by Unfair China Trade Practices
"In 2008, China overtook the United States to become the world's largest producer of paper and paper products." http://www.epi.org/publication... "China's paper industry provides unfair global advantage," http://www.epi.org/publication...
Bass Voted For Tax Breaks for Overseas Corporations. Bass Voted for legislation that included a $6.5 billion tax break extension for financial corporations with overseas operations. Under current law, U.S. firms are taxed on some types of income earned by foreign corporations that they control, regardless of whether the income is distributed back to the United States. A temporary provision, due to expire in 2002, exempted income earned in banking, finance, and insurance from these rules. The
Legislation Bass voted for extended the exemption for an additional five years. [Vote #509, 12/19/01; CBPP "New House Stimulus Proposal Dominated By Multi-Year Or Permanent Tax Cuts," 12/21/01]
In 2004, Bass also voted against an alternative version to the corporate tax bill that would have eliminated certain tax provisions, including denying some tax benefits to domestic corporations that reincorporate overseas to avoid U.S. income taxes. [Vote 258, 6/17/04]
Bass Voted For Looser Trade Rules With China. Bass voted for passage of the trade bill that would make Most Favored Nation Status with the People's Republic of China permanent. [Roll Call #228, 5/24/00]
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