Save Our Shrimpers Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2071) to prohibit Federal funds from being made available to international financial institutions for the purposes of financing foreign shrimp farms, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my friend, Mr. Nehls', bill, the Save Our Shrimpers Act.

Across our coastlines, our communities believe it is crucial that we protect our domestic shrimping industry and the hardworking men and women who keep it alive every day, day in and day out.

For far too long, U.S. shrimpers along the Gulf and other coastal communities across our country have been put in a serious disadvantage by a wave of cheap, imported shrimp.

As the largest shareholder of multilateral lenders like the World Bank, the United States must ensure that these institutions are not financing competing shrimp producers with our domestic family growers. Representative Nehls' bipartisan bill addresses this issue.

Mr. Speaker, it requires U.S. representatives at the international financial institutions to oppose financing activities related to shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp from a foreign country.

I thank Mr. Nehls for his leadership on this important issue and for helping ensure that our international financing policy prioritizes a level playing field for our shrimp producers here at home.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Nehls), who is the chairman of the T&I Subcommittee on Aviation, and who is the author of the bill we have before us this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Nehls has done good work on behalf of our hardworking men and women in the shrimping industry, particularly in his native Gulf Coast, who get up at the crack of dawn every day to make a living and serve a delicious product to Americans and neighbors alike.

Mr. Speaker, I witnessed something so similar 25 years ago in the Mississippi Delta when the Federal Government's policy was to subsidize importation of catfish from Vietnam. It literally put hundreds of family farms in Mississippi and Arkansas out of business and bankrupted the industry because we facilitated--through our trade policy, through our international financial institutions policy, through our import policy--a decision that was in contrast to the very policies of USDA, which were to increase family farms and increase farms diversifying their crop from row crop to domestically produced farm-raised catfish. These policies collided, Mr. Speaker.

I think what the gentleman from Texas is arguing is let's have common sense in our policy that supports our producers and our family shrimp growers, support them and put them first in this channel of providing high-quality seafood to the American consumer.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Nehls) for this bill. I urge a ``yes'' vote on both sides of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2071, the Save Our Shrimpers Act.

For far too long, hardworking American shrimpers have been devastated by the flood of foreign shrimp imports entering our markets, driving down the prices, undermining fair competition, and forcing generation after generation of fishing families out of business.

For decades, billions of dollars tied to international development financing have helped support foreign shrimp production overseas.

According to publicly available data from the Department of the Treasury, U.S. executive directors at international financial institutions have voted in favor of nearly 89 percent of multilateral shrimp and aquacultural projects over the last 30 years. Think about that--89 percent.

American taxpayer dollars have effectively helped finance foreign shrimp industries while our own shrimpers are being forced to compete against foreign producers benefiting from the subsidies, unfair trade practices, and lower label and environmental standards, allowing imported shrimp to be sold below the cost of production. It is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the men and women from our Gulf Coast and coastal communities wake up before dawn and work long hours in dangerous conditions to help feed this country. They deserve a level playing field, not a Federal Government helping bankroll their foreign competition.

The Save Our Shrimpers Act directs U.S. representatives at international financial institutions to use the voice and vote of the United States to oppose projects that finance foreign shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or shrimp exports overseas.

The Save Our Shrimpers Act stands up for American jobs, American seafood producers, and the coastal communities that depend on the shrimping industry to survive.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand up for our shrimpers and protect the American industry, and I ask them to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2071.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2071, the Save Our Shrimpers Act. Communities in places like Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Georgia have deep, historic connections to the shrimping industry. They have raised concerns that foreign shrimping projects funded by international financial institutions, that is IFIs, are helping to dramatically increase the farmed shrimp supply, causing a glut that is driving down the price of shrimp and harming American business.

This bill would direct the United States Government to oppose financial assistance by the World Bank and other international financial institutions to projects that support foreign shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I am supportive of American workers, including the shrimpers' communities. For that reason, I recommend that my colleagues support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to share a statement on H.R. 2071, the Save Our Shrimpers Act.

Shrimpers in Texas and across the United States are facing real, serious challenges including rising fuel costs, aging equipment, and a workforce shortage as fewer young people enter the trade. These issues that threaten the future of our domestic shrimp industry deserve meaningful attention from Congress.

Regrettably, the Save Our Shrimpers Act does nothing to lower the cost of fuel or provide practical support to American producers. Instead, the bill offers a false promise to shrimpers in the United States by focusing on cutting off financing to some of the most impoverished communities in the world.

Texas shrimpers deserve better. I support growing the domestic shrimping industry and will continue working toward legislation that addresses the challenges our shrimpers face.