[CTC] Oregonians Speak Out on Wyden’s Support for Fast Track Bill

[Arthur Stamoulis]

nteresting points on rollback in transparency...


For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Swager, (503) 784-1951 or elizabeth at oregonfairtrade.org <mailto:elizabeth at oregonfairtrade.org>

Oregonians Speak Out on Wyden’s Fast Track Bill & the Rollback in Transparency
Statement by Elizabeth Swager, Director, Oregon Fair Trade Campaign

"Senator Ron Wyden repeatedly promised to fight for Oregonians’ access to trade policy proposals that will impact their jobs, their wages and their quality of life.  Not only has he failed to do that, he’s just signed off on legislation that would make transparency in trade negotiations qualitatively worse.  This is a betrayal of Oregon’s working families and of democratic policymaking, and Oregonians won’t stand for it.

"The George W. Bush administration published draft texts of its largest trade proposals for public scrutiny, yet for some reason, the current administration has barred the public from reviewing what’s being proposed in our names.  In February 2012, Senator Wyden told the Oregon Fair Trade Campaign <http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/02162012-WYDEN-TRANSPARENCY-LTR.pdf> that he agreed this was wrong, stating that:

'The details of many trade negotiations are not made public until the agreement is complete and changes are nearly impossible.  This is wrong and this must change… Specifically, U.S. trade negotiators should be required to — at a minimum — share with the public the proposals they are putting forward, as they put them forward, in negotiations.  Obama’s negotiators cannot be allowed to shroud their goals in secret.'

“The Fast Track legislation that Senator Wyden just cosponsored with Republicans not only rewards the secretive, back-room trade negotiating that’s been conducted to date, it provides the public with no right to review trade agreement proposals until after the texts completed, the pacts are signed and changes become all-but-impossible.

"Worse still, for the first time ever, Senator Wyden’s legislation would create a statutory justification for future administrations to classify their trade policy proposals.  Nothing of the sort exists today.  Let’s be clear about this: Senator Wyden’s bill creates a rollback in transparency.  

"The only good thing to be said about today's Fast Track bill is that it has zero chance of passing through both chambers of Congress."

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