(As prepared for delivery)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I begin, I would like to recognize our colleague, Dan Kildee, who underwent a procedure earlier this week and cannot be with us in person today. I wish him a speedy recovery, and look forward to his return to Congress and this Committee soon. Thank you.

Trade connects us to the rest of the world, and our trade relationships must be built on a foundation of trust. As Members of the Ways and Means Committee, it is our responsibility to balance a number of diverse considerations in our trade policies to ensure that we are providing benefits to American workers, companies, and consumers while demanding high, enforceable standards for labor, the environment, and other priorities.

House Democrats are focused on fighting climate change while supercharging our domestic manufacturing and energy workforce. As we will discuss in this Committee shortly, the Inflation Reduction Act is the single largest investment in our nation’s climate and energy in our history.

It created tax incentives to quickly decarbonize our economy and shift manufacturing of the materials and technologies we need here to the United States. And that includes the supply of solar panels that will be critical to the clean energy transition.

Late last year, after a thorough and data-driven investigation, the Commerce Department made a preliminary determination that some companies are bypassing anti-dumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders on Chinese solar panels by doing minor processing in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, or Vietnam before shipping to the United States. 

Last Summer, the Biden Administration issued a proclamation that created a short-term bridge, delaying the implementation of any duties until next year. As in all trade policy, our approach to this requires balance, and I respect that my colleagues may come to different conclusions this morning about how to strike that balance. I plan to oppose the legislation before us today because I believe that it is not the right solution at this time. While the Administration’s emergency order is not perfect, it is a short-term intervention that gives solar projects in the pipeline a needed bridge.

Trade policy works better when we find areas of agreement to build a fairer trading system, root out forced labor from our supply chains, and ensure that workers are at the forefront of our trade relationships. When we fought to establish new enforcement structures in the USMCA, we weren’t just fighting for that deal. We were showing the world what we stand for, and what’s acceptable. This stands as a powerful example of what’s possible. It has given weight to our word, and we must continue to fight for aggressive, enforceable trade policies.

I am committed to ensuring that our trade policies are well balanced and reflect our values, and I yield back.

Original source can be found here.