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<h1 style='background:white'><b><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>On
Five Year Anniversary of Portman’s Nomination as Bush’s Trade
Representative, Ohio Labor Leaders Spotlight Devastating Impact on Ohio
Workers, Economy<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Mar 17, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>On
today’s five year anniversary of President George W. Bush’s
nomination of Congressman Rob Portman as U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), <st1:State
w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> labor leaders and fair trade advocates denounced
Portman’s job-killing USTR record and emphasized the urgent need for <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State></st1:place>’s next U.S.
Senator to promote common-sense trade policies that invest in workers and
strengthen manufacturing. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>Doug
Sizemore, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO; Donnie
Blatt, Rapid Response Coordinator for the United Steel Workers; Karen Hansen,
Director of Ohio Conference on Fair Trade; and Joe Logan, Director of
Agricultural Programs for the Ohio Environmental Council & Agricultural
Co-Chair for the Coalition for a Prosperous America offered a dismal <a
href="http://ohiodems.org/assets/portman%20review.pdf">performance review</a>
of Portman’s 2005-2006 tenure as Bush’s USTR. Citing skyrocketing
trade deficits and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>
trade-related job loss by the thousands, the labor leaders gave Portman a
failing grade for his role as Trade Ambassador. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>“This
anniversary is important because as we weather this recession, we can’t
forget how we got here. Portman’s job-killing trade policies were a
recipe for disaster five years ago, and they are definitely not the way out of
this economic crisis,” <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Doug Sizemore</span></b>
said. “Portman betrayed <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> workers in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> plain and
simple. We can’t afford to have him represent our voice in the
Senate.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>"Congressman
Portman’s record as President Bush’s right-hand man in pushing
job-killing trade policies is unparalleled in its utter disregard for <st1:State
w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> workers and for the manufacturing sector that helped
make <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>
strong,” <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Donnie Blatt</span></b> said.
“Now more than ever, we cannot afford to let Portman U-turn our trade
policy. <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State>’s voice in the Senate is
too important to unleash Portman in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>
again.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>Portman’s
record as USTR under Bush is defined by massive trade-related job loss and a
mounting trade deficit. In <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>,
more than 17,000 workers had their jobs shipped overseas on his watch [Ohio
Policy Matters International Trade and Job Loss 2007]. The <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> trade
deficit rose nearly 6.5 percent, slowing economic growth and impeding job
creation [US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Retrieved 5/13/09][Ohio
Policy Matters, 2007]. This rising deficit under Portman revealed a staggering
trade imbalance with China, which spiked for the first time in our
nation’s history to reach more than $200 billion [Knight Ridder, 4/13/06;
US News and World Report, 4/24/06; The Hollywood Reporter, 2/15/06; Census
Foreign Trade Statistics, www.census.gov]. Portman’s failure to address
China’s currency manipulation of the Yuan as much as 40 percent in 2006
only exacerbated the imbalance and did nothing to help U.S. manufacturers and
workers compete in the global marketplace [Knight Ridder, 4/13/06; US News and
World Report, 4/24/06; The Hollywood Reporter, 2/15/06; Census Foreign Trade
Statistics, www.census.gov]. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>Portman
was also instrumental as USTR to the passage of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA), which put American workers and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> businesses at a competitive
disadvantage. The self-described “quarterback” strong-armed the
legislation through Congress with promises of a trade surplus. Portman said
regarding CAFTA, “estimates are that there could be up to a $700 million
trade surplus in the first year” [PBS, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,
6/23/05]. Portman’s estimations, however could not have been more
off-base. He succeed only in contributing to the already burgeoning U.S. trade
deficit, which increased another 4.18 percent following the passage of CAFTA
and rising to -$799,595,000. [US Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics,
Retrieved 5/13/09]. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='background:white'><font size=2 color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span
lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>“The
numbers speak for themselves: trade-related job loss and the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> trade
deficit skyrocketed under Portman’s watch. It’s unthinkable for
Portman to receive anything but failing marks for his record as Bush’s
U.S. Trade Representative.” <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Karen
Hansen</span></b> said. “<st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State> workers,
businesses, and middle class families deserve better than Portman’s
agenda in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State>.
We need a U.S. Senator who is committed to fair-trade policies that puts <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State> on a level playing
field in the global marketplace.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center;background:white'><font size=2
color="#333333" face="Trebuchet MS"><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:#333333'>“It’s clear from
Portman’s record as U.S. Trade Representative where he stands---and
it’s not with <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State>’s farmers;
it’s not with <st1:State w:st="on">Ohio</st1:State>’s small towns;
and it’s not with <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>’s
middle class families,” <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Joe Logan</span></b>
said. “Portman’s dismal trade legacy underscores just how critical
smart trade policies are to creating jobs and strengthening the economic future
of our communities. There is nothing more necessary for <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State> than to have a fair-trade advocate in
the U.S. Senate.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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