Washington, DC – Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) issued the following statement today in response to the dangerous changes proposed to U.S. trade laws in the Waxman-Markey climate change bill:

“The proposed ‘fix’ misses the mark and I fear it will be seen as an opening salvo in the trade war that the entire global community has been trying to avert since the economic crisis began,” said Camp.  “That’s what happens when the committee is bypassed and the Speaker does not allow us to do our job.  At the end of the day, this bill won’t prevent the hemorrhaging of American jobs, nor will it reduce global emissions.”

Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Brady added, “Ironically, the Ways & Means provisions are so rigid they effectively undermine our ability to reach an international agreement on CO2 emissions, which is the best way to protect American jobs. The other dangerous flaw is that, as written, it will make it more difficult to defend the scheme against trade challenges by our competitors because the restrictions are not based on environmental goals. Why craft a losing strategy that invites retaliation? This is what happens when legislation is crafted in secret by a few rather than in the public with bipartisan input from other committee members.”

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