Politics

Connecting More Dots

By Speaker's Press Shop

A report released by the non-partisan Campaign Money Watch reveals that American jobs have been outsourced in states and districts where the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending millions of dollars from secret corporate and possibly foreign donors to drown out the voices of the middle class. This report provides further evidence for why the special interests opposed legislation to close loopholes that facilitate shipping U.S. jobs overseas, and why we must enact the DISCLOSE Act, which the House passed in June.

From the report:

More than 1.4 million jobs were outsourced due to trade policies since 1994 in the nine states in which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent nearly $5.7 million from undisclosed corporate and possibly foreign donors on ads in Senate seats last week.

More than 184,000 jobs were lost to outsourcing in the 22 congressional districts in which the Chamber has spent $4.8 million on ads.

The U.S. Chamber supports the outsourcing of American jobs overseas. And now its undisclosed donors are spending tens of millions of dollars in support of Republicans who have voted against closing offshoring loopholes. U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue:

The bottom line ? outsourcing has made the manufacturing process more efficient and productive?the Chamber strongly believes manufacturing and service companies alike should have the freedom and flexibility to source and trade across our country-and around the world.

The facts speak for themselves:

In June, House Democrats passed the DISCLOSE Act ? legislation to require disclosure of donations in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that opened up American elections to unlimited corporate, and possibly foreign, funding ? to keep the voices of the American people from being drowned out. The bill was opposed by 99% of House Republicans; it has been blocked from a vote in the Senate by Senate Republicans.

The same special interests that support outsourcing of American jobs are fighting disclosure of tens of millions of dollars in special interest money, including the potential use of foreign money in election campaigns.

Congressional Republicans who fought the DISCLOSE Act and killed it in the Senate have voted in support of outsourcing and shipping American jobs overseas.

Congressional Republicans have voted 11 times in the last four years to protect tax breaks for corporations that ship American jobs overseas, keep off-shore tax havens for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, and other similar loopholes.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the powerful special interests are spending millions of dollars in unlimited corporate, and possibly foreign, funding in support of the GOP agenda?protecting big multi-national corporations that want to ship good-paying American jobs overseas, Wall Street that wants to get its hands on Social Security, and insurance companies that want to control Medicare?instead of protecting the American middle-class.

House Democrats put the middle class first?working to cut taxes for 98% of Americans, boost small businesses, and revitalize American manufacturing with the?“Make It In America” agenda.

Full post as published by The Gavel on October 13, 2010 (boomark / email).