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WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. House decided Wednesday to make sure workers serving up French fries and hamburgers aren't classified as part of the nation's manufacturing sector.
Lawmakers approved the measure after Democrats criticized President Bush's economic report for questioning whether fast-food restaurants should be reclassified from the service sector to manufacturing since they could be viewed as "combining inputs to manufacture a product.''
The president's economic report, which came out in February, also was criticized for stating that outsourcing jobs "makes sense.''
Under the amendment from Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, no money from the $89.9 billion bill to fund Transportation and Treasury Department programs next year could be used by the Council of Economic Advisers to write an economic report that counts jobs at fast-food restaurants as part of the manufacturing sector.
"The American people know that if it comes on a sesame seed bun with secret sauce, it is not manufacturing,'' Brown said in a letter circulated to fellow lawmakers.
The amendment was approved on a voice vote for the spending bill, which is pending final passage in the House. It also needs Senate approval.
About 2.67 million manufacturing jobs have been lost nationwide since Bush took office in January 2001, according to the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On the Net:
Text of the amendment to H.R. 5025: http://thomas.loc.gov/
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