It is indeed a sad day when Members of Congress earnestly seeking to protect the jobs of American workers are
not allowed access to the foremost federal government research on the topic.
As Congress has wrestled with legislation designed to strengthen the competitive position of America so that jobs - especially high-tech jobs - not only remain here but are created in the United States, we've been looking for more data about what types of jobs are moving off-shore and why.
At Congress' direction, the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA) undertook a study on this very issue. A good idea, certainly. Yet, it now seems apparent that the TA's professional analysis did not fit within the context of what the Administration wanted to hear, so the report was reworked, shortened to the point of uselessness and released under the radar.
In a nutshell, the federal Technology Administration assigned five analysts to write a report in 2004. Having spent $335,000, the TA analysts produced an almost 200-page draft report. However that report was
never released. Instead all that was made public was a 12-page summary which some of the analysts claim doesn't accurately or fully reflect their findings.
I believe that Congress and the public deserve to see the entire draft report. That's why my Democratic colleagues on the House Science Committee joined me in introducing H. Res. 717 - our last procedural hope of compelling the Secretary of Commerce to deliver a copy of the full report to Congress.
The resolution will be considered by the full House Committee on Science this Wednesday morning. The bottom line is that American workers deserve the truth about their current and future job prospects.
As the Council on Competitiveness has asked, "Why are U.S.-based manufacturers investing overseas and not here?" We need to learn as much as we can about what is driving jobs off-shore so that we can take adequate and effective steps to support and promote well-paid employment opportunities in each of our districts.
As American workers, your help in this effort just may compel the Department of Commerce to quit stalling and show us a report - requested by Congress - that reflects the best thinking to date by the government on the off-shoring and globalization phenomenon.
- Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee), Ranking Member, U.S. House Committee on Science
