Congressional Democrats Escalate Criticism of Substance, Process of Obama’s First Trade Pact – the Trans-Pacific Partnership

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The combination of unprecedented secrecy during three years of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “trade” agreement negotiations and recent leaks of TPP chapters revealing that U.S. negotiators have approved extreme, troubling terms has sparked a veritable tsunami of congressional criticism and action in recent days, Public Citizen said. The 13th round of TPP negotiations will be held next week in San Diego.

On Wednesday, an overwhelming majority of House Democrats, led by U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and George Miller (D-Calif.), sent a letter to the administration criticizing the secretive TPP negotiating process, demanding public release of the TPP text and raising alarm about TPP proposals that replicate past pacts and could increase drug prices, undermine Buy American policy and expose U.S. laws to attack in foreign tribunals. The letter, sponsored by two members of the House Democratic leadership, was signed by almost every Democratic full committee ranking member and Appropriations Committee ranking member, as well as many Ways and Means Committee members and a dozen lawmakers who supported last fall’s free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

Read the entire relase information here via PublicCitizen.com

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