a reminder if you missed any of the earlier part of this venue you can find it later unlighted c-span.org just search pandemic. on the issue of health president trump announcing a new hhs secretary nomination. happy to announce he tweets i'm nominating alex to be the next hhs secretary. he will be a star for better health care and lower drug prices. the use senate gavels thing coming up at 4 p.m. eastern for third consecutive week taking up executive nominations there will have live coverage on c-span2. in the meantime part of today's "washington journal." >> join us for a conversation on the state of u.s. manufacturing, to guess we're joined by scott paul, president of the alliance for american manufacturing, and vincent, producer and director of the american made movie to both of you. thanks for joining a us. a little a bit about your movit

doesn't focus on and why did you do it? >> we realized that with people understand thehe relationship ty had with manufacturing. our goal was to great documentary is going to allow people to understand kind of the history of manufacturing and the role that they play as consumers. the film takes you through three different companies that are making things in america are wanted to make things in america and helps you understand that personal connection you have to it. >> host: are guesswork and to join us for if you have questions about the work of manufacturing and the state of it, 202-748-8200 for democrats, 202-748-8201 for republicans. independence 202748 8202b if you work in a manufactured. a manufactured and what to give us your thoughts, 8203. let's see the trailer from the american made movie. >> u.s. steel corporation today announced it is probably closing the fuel plan and shutting down.

>> get rid of your manufacturing base, the results, you have a domino effect. >> i always set armada was you dream come we build. i have seen the sales dropping off. >> we lost our job. >> if somebody overseas. >> since the 2000 lost about 5.5 million manufacturing jobs. that loss in manufacturing jobs is the backbone that is crippled this employment. >> i'm almost 50. all i know is this. what the country is realizing it is making things is important. >> one of the things that's always been great about america is americans. get back to being good business to invest in your community. we understand why business offshore their production. we alsot finally believe that

making thinks is critically important to long-term health of this country. >> where making more sales, making more partnerships. >> knowing that we put shoes on a lot of people -- >> it's about believing in something. >> what if you fail? >> that's not an option. >> host: there's a bit of the movie. talk about the involvement you play in this. >> guest: we try to connect the idea of american manufacturing with policy. the movie is great because it points out every president talks about his belief in american manufacturing and wanting to make things in america. it really matters. manufacturing was kind of the canary in the coal mine for the

great recession. lost a third of all manufacturing jobs over the last 15 years. what you saw and i think this movie in many ways was a prequel to some of the anger that you saw play out in the last election. there are many commuters who felt like they had been left behind and that policy has left them behind as well. but this is something we know how to do it we are to in this country. this is a core competency of the united states, and the movie shows that a lot of folks who want to do it, who are entrepreneurs or whod are workers, or who are just holding on and realize how important it is for their communities. they are fighting for and all they're really asking for is a chance, a level playing field, an opportunity. i thought the movie did a really good job of bringing those stories from places that you like to forget about like buffalo and detroit and elsewhere, into the living rooms

of a lot of people who might have lost touch. >> host: weekender all destroyed any movie what is one that sticks out in your mind? >> guest: new balance sneakers i think, i'm wearing a pair right now but if you like i have a new connection to my sneakers by realizing that we have people in america that are making issues. a lot of shoe manufacturer in the country when you see people take pride inke putting these together and seeing a a compann the new england area that's like doing great things, makes you feel like other people could be doing this if they didn't look at the bottom line the road trying to put things together with t a plain people in their communities and seeing the ripple effect that has. >> we talk about trade come manufacturing on a wash and level for people who work at neubauer centers that what happens in washington and particularly it affects them? >> guest: definitely. i think every decision dismayed is having some impact whether it's an incentive, if it's for anotherr company or the

terrorists that are not put in place that are causing it to where the competition is a little harder for them here they keep a close eye and usually those companies work with about think tanks and nonprofits in order, with scott to make sure they're on kind of the right side of the agenda and understanding can how this could impact in the future. >> host: you do with a policy aspect the extent particularly especially those who had these comp copies unsure understand every washington group that gets me on manufacturing. do.uest: they i think there's a split because they have heard it so often. there's a lot a politician to say we're going to be there for manufacturing, and then when the really tough decisions have to be made whether it's about trade policy or the type of education system that you have to provide a pipeline and vocational education, then it gets tougher. when there's those trade-offs.

ian think there are some folks t there in the manufacturing community who have written washington and said there's nothing they can do that will make a difference. there's others who will say, i think new balance isak a great example, where trade policy matters to them. if the tpp had gone into effect it probably would have wiped out the last couple of mills in new england. so it really does matter and it makes a difference. and you can see that. you can also see and i will say that at the time the movie was being made, we were bleeding manufacturing jobs, and we have kind of, we are on little more solid footing now, what we lack and the rest of the world has is that manufacturing policy that and that sector front center of our economic loss can what is the solid footing and natural occurrence or was decisions by the previous or current administration traffic part of it was the auto rescue. our automobile industry was collapsing, and so we have a stable pretty song auto industry

in no small part due to the auto rescue. i think part of it is just economic recovery. we are not freefalling now but it also shows that even in an age of globalization and automation that if we are given the chance, we can add manufacturing jobs. we can add capacity. we are to do things. i was just talking to someone who is brought back sleeping bag productions to alabama. and so it's possible to do this butck it takes visionary entrepreneurs and does take public policy that's going totr givey our folks are real chance so that our workers are not necessary necessarily competing against twice since an hour labor. >> host: mr. vittorio from what other industries did you talk to? >> guest: we look at viking appliances in greenwood mississippi who are not a cleanup since we shot the film and it has come out is not a publicly traded company so it's not that same story that you can see but does show the impact

that a local business owner can have with their community. it still holds true for the companies out there that are doing things in america. the third one wehi have is mark, an amazing story of someone who lost a visit to overseas and was able to kind of bring it all back by believing in the people in his community and the people in this country to come and supportive. >> host: our guests again scott paul, president american manufacturing.org and the director producer of the american-made movie. vincent vittorio, the american-made movie.com is the website you can find you more about the film. joy in oakland, democrat's line. go ahead. >> caller: good morning. i think there's a big kind of like going around about it either tax burden or payroll. i worked for a company in oceanside california, very large company. we made supplies and as the ceo

what was the biggest burden, tax burden or payable? he said payroll. i also worked for the largest hvac plumbing company in las vegas and the ceo of that of thy said the same thing. i haven't done a lot of research but i believe companies are moving overseas because of payroll, not tax burden. i'd like your opinion. tragic it's a good question, and manufacturer is not a model. every company is different. in some cases energy costs are the primary driver of the cost structure for a company. in other cases you're right it's labor cost. the united states while our tax code isn't perfect, if you look at the overall tax burden of many of our companies it's comparably lower. with a much different system where we don't have what's called value-added taxes. ween don't tax imports coming in and we don't rebate exports that are going out. that sets us apart from almost the rest of the industrialized world, but the current tax debate doesn't address that at

all and so it's not going to get at thehe issue. but if you look at a lot of the costs with respect to labor, the loss of intellectual property, the factth of the countries, i will point out china, have national government policies that they're trying to attract the kind of manufacturing and their favoring their own firms. that does tilt the playing field away from our folks and that's why women talk about that level playing field we we're talking about a trade policy that reciprocal peer we're talking about ensuring that were not undercut by lower labor costs that are artificially low. andif that generally we have a fair chance to compete because a lot of the folks i know vincent talked to in the movie, they are highly efficient, highly productive and on a level plainfield, they will be able to add jobs. >> host: lecher from mike, richmond, virginia. mike in richmond, virginia?

let's go to donna, winston-salem, north carolina. go ahead. caller, go ahead, please. >> caller: high. can you hear me? >> host: go ahead. donna, you are on. go ahead, please. >> caller: , i live in winston-salem right now, but i'm originally from flint, michigan. i worked in the auto industry in flint, michigan. can you hear me? >> host: you are on. go ahead. >> caller: i wanted to say that i appreciate that the guys are making the movie because michael moore's movie really did, in fact,ha the industry, ad flint itself, but the resources that are there in those cities are being quickly torn down, and the buildings that manufacturers could easily come into and taken

over, they are being destroyed. what did you have to say about that? >> guest: i know going to the first time, it's kind of mind blowing to suggest this amount of land and huge facilities that lookt just like apocalyptic rui. it's really sad but at the same time like you're saying that infrastructure is there any think restoring it and trying to do something could be something worthwhile. but at the same time it's very hard when you are attracting a new leg of manufacture or growth of something to restore an area like that specifically detroit. but but i think the story does a good jobob of showing how, what happened to detroit and how it could make a recovery but it will never be what it was in the early days. >> host: from california, independent line. >> caller: i just wanted to

say what's very important in all this is when someone wants to buy something made in america they are looking for the made in america tag, right? a lot of these tpp and other things with the cottages they try to get that taken off the origin, the country of origin taken off a given product so you don't have made in america, , so when a soul for the that's imports of people to make a decision on what's best for the country when you're purchasing products. >> guest: i wholeheartedly agree. i think having that kind of transparency is very important, and that while price is also going to factor anything a consumer buys, knowing where and how it was produced to make a big difference. unfortunately, the caller is right. we are entering into some agreements that he wrote our ability to properly label food products as well as -- the road -- as well as merchandise. so ifas you're shopping in persn at a store you can generally

kind of find the label if you know where to look and see if it that they make republic or the united states or whatever. for shopping at nine they can be extremely difficult. it's very hard to find. there's not a steady requirement you have to do that. i favor an upgrade in the labeling laws, and i think consumers right to know should be the primaryhe interest. >> host: mr. vittorio, did you talk to those about the influence of things being made overseas and did he getab the idea, many times it can be made cheaper and what is the response to that? >> guest: definitely. we have mr. underhill was we get the way businesses work and the way we shop. he's also a lot of books that get into the psychology. he comes to the question realizing that if something is made in america and some the made overseas and you pay a little more for it, consumers will come out in great numbers and consumers will support that come which is the big theme of her movie is that we have the power to put our money behind things that we believe in. it's not evenf it just about

necessary the american-made label. it's our local communities from agriculture going to a farmers market or even just realizing what's in our backyard and sing we can support that. i think as we do that, it's going to change things. it's going to take a long time to have that to impact at the end of it if we have company spending millions of dollars for celebrities to endorse their product and they know making things and americans just as sexy as lebron james, that i think more companies will get behind that and they will see that this is not only something that is of value to the community and ourur country but it's helpin' them have competitive advantage in the market place. >> host: angelo in new orleans, democrat's line. >> caller: good morning and thank you for c-span. how can you live, i mean, how can you profess what manufacturing when you have four states that just lowered, your

companies like walmart, yet the pizza company where the owner is, just bought a $15 million mansion, and he doesn't pay his employees a livable wage where they are forced to go get food stamps and subsidies from the government. how can you justify ceos from manufacturers making times what they used to make? they don't pay a livable wage. they don't want to pay a livable wage. do you know why? vietnam just doublee the income, their wage, which is not livable. they went from 50 cents an hour to one dollar. >> host: thanks, caller.n >> guest: i think back and disparity is important. i would be remiss if i didn't point out in manufacturing, the wages forf average workers are about 20% higher than in the rest of the private sector.

so there's actually a premium for a lot of these manufacturing jobs. you can certainly find examples of excess ceo compensation, but i think there are more prevalent in the financial services, and that a lot of companies in the united states realize that the way they're going to compete is not a race to the bottom. they're not going to be vietnam or bangladesh in wages. we don't want to do that but if you invest in your workers, invest in their skills, we will be more efficient, more productive, more stable. and ultimately that's an important factor here manufacturing wages, this is particularly important for men and women who i don't have a four-year college degree. it's one of the few remaining paths to achieving the american dream to the middle class. that's what i think both vincent and i are such proponents of the sector the economy because there

really is no substitute for that right now. >> host: from new york republican line michael, , you'e on with our guests. good morning. >> caller: good morning. very interesting segue. you just talk about something i want to bring up, which is students entering into two-year and four-year universities are at a close to or at an all-time high. how does the manufacturing industry address perhaps maybe the stereotype or belief that students with higher education looking to go into jobs that are not specifically in manufacturing because they're the expectations that their degree will earn them some kind of income and employment easement? and also the filmmaker, did you run into any issues when you're going through, anything people and learning theirir stories? >> guest: michael, in your

home state of new york, there's a great example of this with p-tech pic of the partnership is formed with ibm and the school system there. stored in brooklyn. it was one school and then since been expanded throughout the states to ofth the states and en other countries. it's really about connecting workforce development for the kids at an earlier age. we go into this idea kids finish high school, looking for college they want to go to. they put all this investment, student at whatever it is they get this piece of paper and that piece of paper doesn't mean what it meant 15, 20 years ago. ultimately we have to be connected to workforce development we have to be apprenticeships in turning doing things. i think that's the future of business this is to be able to get kids to realize that there are livable wages in manufacturing manufacturing isn't dark and dirty. it's a much different world than what it was before. we need to embrace that as

leaders and argument is an interesting importance of education. >> host: if that's true, what are the wages? >> guest: it is possible and i'll use one of our stakeholders example, steelworker, if you complete basically two years of post high school education, and a lot of that is hands-on training like welding or learningng electrical circuits, you can make a starting salary at $70,000, which in these areas of the country is a very good family supporting wage. but again overall, with something between high school and college certificate, you're going to get a wage premium that is about 20% better than the rest of the private sector. it is worth pointing out though that in the '50s and 60s, kids would go straight to my school into manufacturing. and you could have a career in manufacturing with the pension.

those jobs are vanishing, if not gone altogether. so you do need an additional credential, but with that you don't need the four years of college now. you can provide for your family. you can save for f retirement. you can have a good health care plan. it is entirely possible to do that if wess find the pipelines that we create them come in high school, and technical college. and if we have a robust manufacturing environment where we are adding jobs rather than seeing them go offshore. >> host: from maine, we'll talk to add and he's in manufacturing. good morning. go ahead. >> caller: yes. thank god for c-span. i wanted to talk about, i'm retired from manufacturing 36 years, and there was a mantra always drilled into her hits over those years. safety, quality, schedule, cost. we would say we wanted to save

the produce a quality product on time at the lowest cost. i'm wondering if the panelists could talk about how those metrics could transfer to other organizations, especially congress? >> guest: you know, toyota really started that model and a think that it was replicated and refined into something that really helped to start the concept three manufacturing to the distribution of something. and you're right, those are great things, keeping it safe, being very slim in manufacturing to make sure that you're not wasteful with the product, and helping to reach the consumer with a quality product which is something that america was always looked great at the we were taught about this before. it's veryy important that outsie of just helping people in our country we had this idea of her hand, what it means to make things in america. new balance being an example. a lot ofa. issues overseas that are made in america there's a

demand for the american may choose which is mind blowing to me. you want to add to that? >> guest: i don't i know what will get congress to change. we tried a couple different ways and so far we've been unsuccessful. let me say at the alliance we work with laboral and business, andsi oftentimes on the factory floor that can be differences but i but i think as you know and as others know when you had that kind of collaboration between management and workers, you get a lot of stuff done. i think listening to the voice is important. when we go into offices we can have a corporate ceo, a labor union president, and it defies the stereotype. we are able to make some progress that way. that might show at least kind of a green shoot of help on how we can get more things. >> host: why we have your the debate over the tax bill, both house and set aside, holding out the corporate tax rate on us in second was the impact? >> guest: i i think everybody s

trying to figure out what the impact is for the individual enterprise. i do think this. you have to balance the amount of debt we're going to incur as a society. because if you're adding trillions of dollars of debt that me just to borrow it. china has been a big financier and that helps to create these imbalances that we have, versus having a competitive tax structure. these are difficult issues. i don't pretend to know all the answers as we move forward but i hope when the debate gets going that those are some of the guard rails that are in place them have committed tax code but one that's not going to stop us with an exceptional amount of debt. >> host: santa brought up the topic with the president overseas to go when it comes to trade and balance, president not necessary blaming china for that. what was your reaction? >> guest: i was shocked actually. i was quite shocked and was kind of pandering to your audience. but i think he should've done a much better job and be much more

direct about just how completely dissatisfied we are withwi the trade relationship with china, with the theft of intellectual property, with engagement of beijing and the economy. its state capitalism. that with private sector firms all over the united states that tried to compete against the chinese government to keep your sink i don't blame you, and then you don't, there were no policy concessions that were made on entire trip. that to me is stunning from the president said he's going to reform our trade policy and really shake things up. even putting the rhetoric aside, you have to deliver some results and they just haven't been any sorts deeply frustrating. i know to k me and the folks -- >> host: i saw you shaking your head. >> guest: it's just disappointing. >> all of that discussion online at c-span.org. taking the next live use senate, back this week working on nominations, to transportation department nominations today, a confirmation vote on the under secretary nomination at 5:30

5:30 p.m. eastern followed by a vote to end debate on the departments general counsel. live senate coverage is here on c-span2.

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. o god, our father, in these turbulent and uncertain times, use our lawmakers to live to bless others, bringing glory to your name with their sacrificial service. lord, give them the wisdom to persevere through the difficult, to stay calm when facing the irritating, and to experience your peace even when things go wrong.

enable them to be helpful to the challenged, kind to the needy, and sympathetic to those whose hearts are bruised by life's setbacks. surround our senators with your protection and the shield of your divine favor, bringing them to your expected end. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c, november 13, 2017, to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable joni ernst , a senator from the state of iowa, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g.hatch, president pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: for too long many of america's middle-class families felt left behind by the obama economy. paychecks seemed to stagnate. good-paying jobs seemed harder to find, and opportunities seemed difficult to come by. our country can do better for hardworking families, and that's exactly what we're working to deliver as we continue our efforts to pass tax

reform. it's a once-in-a-generation opportunity and it's the most important thing we can do today to get our economy really growing again and going again. last week the house ways and means committee passed its proposal to lower taxes and to boost economic growth. i'd like to commend chairman brady for his efforts to get the bill approved by the committee and to the floor of the house. here in the senate, we also remain focused on tax reform this week. today the finance committee began its markup of the tax reform proposal released last week. under the leadership of chairman hatch, the committee will consider this plan that has really been many years and dozens of hearings in the making. the finance committee's tax plan will help hardworking americans keep more of their own money. it will help create more jobs here at home and it will help increase opportunities for the middle class. and consider this from a recent

news report titled "middle class biggest winners in senate tax plan, study says." moderate-income people would consistently see the largest percentage declines in their tax bills, the article says, according to an analysis released late saturday by the official nonpartisan joint committee on taxation. in 2019, the article continues, people in the middle of the income spectrum earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would see their taxes fall by 7.1%. those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 would see a 10.4% decline. here's another recent article titled "senate bill would cut taxes by $1.7 trillion, create 925,000 new jobs, study finds." the article noted that the finance committee's bill would

boost the economy, creating 925,000 new jobs and raising wages by 2.9% over ten years, according to a new analysis released thursday by the tax foundation. according to that study, families in my home state of kentucky could see a boost to after-tax incomes for middle-income families of nearly $2,000. earlier today i had an opportunity -- earlier today i had an opportunity to meet with a number of kentucky small business owners and workers to hear from them about the importance of tax reform. we discussed how this effort can help provide relief to small businesses and l middle-class families by making taxes lower, simpler, and fairer. tax reform can help provide real relief to families and small businesses that have felt left behind by our economy. the proposal that the committee will take up today is the product of years of listening to people across the country who

are calling out for relief. it's from careful study of our current tax code, understanding when -- what it gets right and what it too often gets wrong. the senate's tax cuts and jobs act represents the views of the finance committee members and reflects the values shared by the house, senate and trump administration put forward by our unified framework this year. chairman hatch has shown impressive leadership to craft this proposal and i look forward to his continued guidance of the committee under regular order. today members will have the opportunity to give opening statements and provide their insights on the proposal. during this process, the committee will consider amendments from both sides. as of this morning, more than 300 amendments have been filed by both republican and democrat members. additionally, all senators will have the chance to share their opinions here on the senate floor. this is an open process.

it's time to reform our tax code and provide much-needed relief to the hardworking men and women of this country and the finance committee's proposal would do just that. in related action this week, the senate energy and natural resources committee, under the leadership of chairman murkowski, will begin to mark up legislation supporting our nation's energy security. further developing alaska's oil and gas potential in an environmentally responsible way is an important effort to help create new jobs, generate new wealth and provide for our energy future and energy security. these committee markups are positive steps toward growing our economy and helping the middle class. now on another matter, the senate will continue its progress confirming the president's nominees. last week we confirmed multiple nominees to a number of federal agencies. soon they'll get on the job for our country. this week we'll start by

considering two nominees for the department of transportation. later today the senate will vote to confirm derek kan to serve as the under secretary of transportation for policy. mr. kan has experience in a wide range of transportation matters from amtrak to ride-sharing platforms. his career in both the private and public sectors will serve him well as he works to develop important policies related to our nation's infrastructure. i'll be supporting mr. kan's nomination and i would urge all senators to join me. next we'll consider the nomination of steven bradbury to be the general counsel of the department of transportation. during mr. bradbury's service at the justice department in the bush administration he advised the executive branch on various legal and constitutional questions. i'm grateful that he has chosen to serve our nation once again. next up will be david zatezalo to serve as the assistant secretary of labor for mine, safety and health and then

joseph otting to be the comptroller of the curnz. currency mplets finally donald coggins and dabney langhorne friedrich thoughtful consideration of the nominees is an important job of the senate and we'll continue to get to work for the american people. i look forward to voting on each of them this week and i would urge my colleagues to join me. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination department of transportation, derek kan of california to be under secretary. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk

will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? the presiding officer: we are. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dismissed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: thank you, madam president. i'm going to spend the bulk of my time this afternoon focusing on the tax plan, but first i must address president trump's trip to asia. without exaggeration, the president's trip to asia has been one of the most embarrassing foreign trips a president has taken in my memory. it shows when it comes to foreign policy, president trump is not ready for prime time. after a campaign in which he routinely criticized china -- rightly, in my opinion -- for

rapacious trading practices that have stolen american jobs and depressed american wages, president trump went to china and gave them a get out of jail free card. instead of speaking sternly and truthfully to the chinese leaders about the realities of our imbalanced and unfair trade system where we play by the rules and they do not, we lose jobs, they gain them, president trump tried to appease the chinese and their leader. instead of demanding concessions on trade, instead of demanding the same equal access to markets we provide chinese firms, instead of addressing the sordid history of intellectual property theft and extortion, president trump was eager to let china off the hook to say it was, quote, not their fault, unquote, but rather the failure of american presidents. imagine blaming america for the chinesera