>> "washington journal" continues. from joined by democrat ohio, marcy kaptur, serves ninth district and member of appropriations committee. here to toong about amongst other things, the renegotiation of nafta. morning. guest: good morning. pleasure to be on your program for hanks your listener listening. host: talk about the state of renegotiations, what is the purpose of the federal government and what do you see happening with that? the president, during his campaign, talked about the renegotiation of nafta it is underway. for our region of the country, is a very prime issue. i have a map here showing how

great lakes states have lost jobs and how many jobs. 1993, has lost over 34,900, 35,000 jobs, to utsourceing and low-wage platforms. michigan, pennsylvania, isconsin, indiana, this whole region was dealt a real blow in the early sed '90s. this renegotiation is in third mexico, canada and the united states and we hope to framework of nafta in order that it work for all continent.the host: specifically how do you make that work, work for all people, as you say? a look at the n. 1993, if dustry you look at the two-way trade between canada, united states will see there were more canadian imports

coming into the united states exporting there and a small amount coming in from canada to from mexico. hat has happened since 1993 is mexico has become this low wage affectinging platform both canada and the united mammom 68 billion trade deficit, just in auto and the united ith states and mexico. that is astounding. the major category of deficit with mexico. if you step g on, back and look at bigger frame, the united states said back gosh, america's got to compete with japan, close market today it has a closed market. china was coming onboard, china trade, state-owned companies and so forth. compete?re we going to we got to create low-wage reduce wages orm,

and benefits, this is the way we're going to do it. for was no protection worker workers and what happened in my country, the rug was pulled out from under them, they lost jobs, they lost their futures. some have had two and three jobs since then, they repotted and into another company. many had to leave the region, but what is happening today is their pensions. a lot of the companies have losed, so who is going to guarantee the pension, be able to get pension promises act to that, they lost health benefits, the company used to that and their ability o send children on to school after high school. so it was very up ending to millions of people. host: what specifically has to the language, not industry, but o other front? guest: look at workers affected

has to be labor provision in renegotiated nafta them old.ke in other words, their pensions have to be protected. that the heir fault company closed. there are ways to do that. i think looking forward, we have have a labor secretariat over and very ent independent, powerful rganization to enforce labor standards and environmental standards, as well, over the three countries. you have, you have outsourcing to a country struggling, the drug trade and other issues have our continental those -- the and wage rates are very low, we have contract a common across north america or we're going to continue to have outsourcing to the lowest wage, environmentally degradated

partner in the americas. host: discussion on nafta and renegotiation with our guest marcy kaptur of ohio. 202-748-8000 for democrats. republicans, 202-748-8001. and independents, 202-748-8002. twitter at cspan wj. industry, wilbur objective, wo major raise content requirement, raising u.s. share thaf requirement, especially in auto parts.o f we don't fix it, negotiation on the rest of the agreement will fail. talk about origin and how that the larger picture of the discussion going on? yes, this is a big issue, more than the parts, it is the people making the parts. we have to make sure they are the same standards so they are not competing against one

but part of the north american family if we're going nafta.art of this he understands that if you're aking wiring harnesses in mexico and being paid $2 and you don't have health and retirement benefits and you are work nothing toledo or avon, ohio, ohio, that the incentive to move that elsewhere enormous. so rules of origin need to be a of this, but go to the worker, let's not just talk parts, let's talk about people and the way people who to work, how they are treated in this deal people are workers, but we don't want to come work here. what has been eroded since nafta initial passage is actually t

why should you work if -- you are treated like channel. with the parts and peep they'll make the parts and make them part of compact for production, that is more difficult place to go, but then uplift living standards rather than drive them down and i have continent been into many plants in mexico nd seen the conditions under which workers work. it is -- you would not treat a way. being that host: a viewer on twitter said, when a treaty does not produce anticipated why doesn't congress repeal it before it is entrenched? because we didn't have the votes, we tried to defeat nafta. the gentleman or lady who wrote they didn't want tos

call it a treaty, that has to have careful review by the the constitution of the united states. they called it an agreement and no ability ugh with to amend or debate various provisions. have used legislative leight-of-hand, the executive brand to enact nafta, it was drafted by the george bush the '80s and in bill clinton became president the am today through congress. host: our first call from new new paul, fort edward, york, you are on with marcy kaptur. caller: hello, marcy, i'm from york.te new retired now. in the mid-'90s, nafta was signed. clinton promoted that deal. retrained.y, i i lost my job, it went down to mexico, general electric plant. i retrained, became a teacher,

finished my career. hoping that is something with any future trade agreements into ht have incorporated the bill. guest: i'm so glad you mentioned that. be a democrat.to clinton introduced nafta and and corporate democrats like nancy pelosi, i go along with d any kind of legislation that you might be promoting. you ld like to hear what have to say. guest: i tell you, many members in the original vote. oted no on nafta, republicans voted yes on nafta when it was introduced. and i think what you said about yourself, about the retraining about -- have you to be very strong to do what you did, you didn't lose self-confidence and were able to reposition, you should be congratulated for it easy ta didn't make to do that. one major provision in any new your is that if you lose

job because of trade, there hould be a way for you to gain new skills and not have to go program he very weak hat was enacted as part of nafta for trade adjustment assistance, they called it. ver half the people never got it right and we need a north american development bank and ended likestry is up the automotive industry. we were promised bank to help that were bottomed out, it never happened. i es were cast for nafta, could mention one gentleman from southern california, i'll never was going to vote no on nafta, oh, marcy, we're nav bank, so we can reinvest and create jobs maybe the tech industry, it never happened. of water and sewer bill communities, you have to take a brownfield site and clean it up,

money never came to clean it up. nav bank was supposed to do it, and never did. t is part of renegotiated nafta, entire communities, not just individuals, are impacted. ability to reposition those places, for nstance, amazon is looking to invest, wouldn't it be great if there were bank to help a place michigan in greater detroit that was so heavily negative y nafta in a way. north carolina. caller: how you doing? host: go ahead, eddie. okay, i'm a 70 year old white disabled vietnam veteran. my wife worked in a textile industry for years and years in virginia, north carolina and south carolina and it all moved out. was no knitting jobs no

jobs at obs or textile all. t really hurt the economy in the southern states or eastern states. we have a president now that butn't care about anything, his fan base. as long as he's got people lapping for him, he's out of the world. he's never done anything for the united states. university ly had a that took money from the government. anybody else would have done to , they would have went prison. host: caller, thanks. guest: thank you for your country in ur vietnam. that's been ones pbs by ken burns talking about and what m era happened.

passage it was shocking to see the closed textile plants. i was in greenville, south carolina, going through empty plants it looked like it was plants it motive looked like a bomb had gone through the communities and the hung out to just dry.

undergerd american manufacturing and american need to n and we rotect the pension and the future, health benefits of individuals who lost jobs, i can tell you many trucking jobs were many of i represent those workers because of what appened at the federal level, once their jobs were lost. ome of them are losing 75% of their pension. some committed suicide. this is reality. we have to fix this. -- h korea next host: next from elizabeth, line.ican caller: i want to speak about the unions.

south carolina is right to work state. under nikki haley's guidance, so much. has grown think the unions overplayed much card, they had so power they were absolutely the diminishing union control. an educator and in ducation, even though we were ight to work state, you had to document document -- before anything done about that ineffective teacher.

host: let our guest respond. calling in. you for i think it is really important dealing with third world countries that labor have a at the table because just exploited doesn't make for a very good continent in theh to live and here united states one issue we face people y is certain coming to our country without and that umentation has to be brought out of the shadow. that if people come to work in this country, there ought to be a contract,

everybody ought to know what the --es are, i'm sorry maybe in went south of the border, that fthey worked hard for a living, should not have had ned, they should have and many time by shadow abor out of the you help to elevate the country. i can go into a long story about educational programs occurring work place and workers are able to gain additional skills and so forth and get college degrees and college credit. ost: the chamber of commerce

tom donahue is defending nafta. virtually all north american trade is -- snapped to average of 3.5% for the 7.5% for mexico. guest: you know, nafta was never tariff, i beg to differ donahue. nafta was about investment, bout creating a continent on which investment could be moved was, billions and billions and billions of dollars in particular. removing most of the rules of the game. wages ines remain low, mexico have not increased, they 1993, when sed since

the agreement was developed and signed. nd the problems of individuals coming to our country who lost mexico because over two million people lost farms, their little tiny production sites called eadles, and they fled. would have done it, too, people listening to this ability to you had grow white corn pulled out from under you with no adjustment rovision and you were desperate, what would you do? it is interesting in immigration ssue that this is not even talked about, try to have in cultural adjustment mexico for the sins committed in treated '90s and people like they didn't exist, it was morally wrong and should to do that.rong and we need adjustment on the

in the corn sector. i know our corn selling $3 a know that, we have problems here. that needs to be on the table. this is not significant. we have to deal with that issue. i might say for agricultural country, weg to this also need to have people under contract. i know the agriculture community afraid of that, but why should we operate in a where people are treated like cattle, have to pay bounty border ought across the illegally and then work under those conditions? that system? that doesn't work and we need to put that on the table, not under table and not be afraid to deal with it. host: what makes you think that the concerns you list for change untries will their system to accommodate our concern? guest: i think canada is very open. i think in mexico, it will be a little harder, but i think we

about the to talk people of this continent and to of living, tandard that is not occurred in mexico. run by it is a nation ealthy oligarcs, we understand that. it is harming us so much. the illegal drug trade is everyday, ericans right? why did that lock in? "dream land," if people are looking for a good port smith, s in ohio as black tar from guerro trafficked ng because people lost ability to survive. they lost the corn market. trade that is g rightng this country goes back to terrible economic conditions that resulted because no one cared. both of us tried and were not majority of vote necessary congress to protect

a ividuals and give them platform rather than being cast o wind and have a chance to earn a living. for it.aying the price from our democrat's line, from florida, joseph, go ahead. caller: good morning, congresswoman. guest: hi, how are you? caller: okay. caught my g that attention was your use of the of chaddle, i'm going to stretch this a bit. vietnam-era veteran. guest: thank you. council veterans as they return from vietnam and currently adjunct professor at a state college. to students about puerto rico and i emphasize three things, puerto ricans are american citizens, which many people don't know. ricans serve in the military and are subject to the draft. number