The Senate on Monday began debating a bill to encourage U.S. manufacturers to hire American workers rather than ship jobs overseas. Sen. Bernie Sanders said the bill would eliminate tax breaks for firms that move jobs out of the country and cut taxes for businesses that bring jobs back to the United States. “We have got to stop providing tax breaks to large companies that are throwing American workers out on the street and moving to China and other low-wage countries,” Sanders said.

Under the legislation, payroll taxes paid by employers would be waived for two years at companies that can certify that an employee hired to work in the U.S. replaced a worker performing similar duties overseas. The bill also would prohibit U.S. firms from deferring payments on overseas income. In addition, companies no longer could take a tax deduction for the cost of closing factories in the U.S.

Nearly 30 percent of American manufacturing jobs disappeared during the eight years of the Bush administration. There are now less than 12 million manufacturing jobs in the United States – fewer factory jobs than at any time since the beginning of World War II.

“If corporate America wants the American people to purchase their products they have got to begin reinvesting in America and start putting our people to work making those products,” Sanders said. 

Sanders heard from constituents at town meetings throughout Vermont this summer that they cannot find American-made products to buy.  In fact, goods made by low-wage workers in China dominate the consumer products sold in the United States. Some 80 percent of toys sold in this country are made in China, as are 85 percent of bicycles sold in the United States. In fact, since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, more than 100 million American flags sold in this country were made in China.

“This country and the middle class are not going to survive unless we produce the goods we consume,” Sanders said.

Click here to read more about the Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act.