[CTC] Initial MOC statements on the TPP

Fri Nov 6 14:45:55 PST 2015

DELAURO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        
November 5, 2015
CONTACT:
Sara Lonardo 202-225-3661

DeLauro Statement on Trans-Pacific Partnership Text

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on the release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) text. She will hold a press conference with other Members of Congress at noon at the House Triangle to discuss the deal.

“After seven years of secret negotiations, this massive deal appears to be even worse for the American public than we had feared. Its main problems can be simply stated: it would have us do more business with several low wage countries that have undemocratic regimes and rampant human and labor rights abuses, and it would cost Americans their jobs and reduce wages.

“This agreement will limit our ability to protect consumers from dangerous seafood from countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. And it is a giveaway to Big Pharma, which wants to lock cheaper generic drugs out of the market. This will result in more expensive medicines, as well as slower progress toward medical breakthroughs.

"The agreement also has no enforceable currency manipulation rules in it. Currency manipulation by TPP partners like Japan and Vietnam has already cost Americans thousands of jobs. Economist C. Fred Bergsten has identified currency manipulation with the loss of five million U.S. jobs.

“Now that this deal is public, Americans will finally be able to see for themselves how disastrous this agreement is for their jobs, their wages and the health of their families. I will continue to do everything possible to ensure that it does not become a reality.

“The Administration will claim this agreement is a foreign policy triumph, but nothing could be further from the truth. By making this deal, we are rewarding human trafficking in Malaysia, violence against LGBT people in Brunei, environmental degradation in Peru, and the further shipping of American jobs overseas to the very countries that do not play by the rules."

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delauro.house.gov <http://www.delauro.house.gov/>

DINGELL

November 5, 2015
Contact:
Hannah Smith
202-315-8446
hannah.smith at mail.house.gov <mailto:hannah.smith at mail.house.gov>

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement today after the Administration published the text of the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

“After years of closed negotiations with a total lack of transparency, the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement has finally been released to the public this morning. In the first quick read of literally hundreds of pages, it appears that the agreement is even worse than expected, and the auto industry is among the biggest losers.

"The agreement's lack of any meaningful protections against currency manipulation means millions of American jobs – in the auto industry and many other sectors – will continue to be threatened by foreign governments who attempt to tilt the global playing field in favor of their industries and against the United States. Up to five million U.S. jobs have already been lost because of currency manipulation – the mother of all trade barriers – and as I have said before, when is enough, enough?

"Beyond this, it also contains weak labor standards and weak rules of origin that will reward countries that support sweatshops and abusive working conditions, at the same time putting even more American jobs at risk.

"We need a fresh approach to trade in this country that protects American jobs and wages. We need a government that supports working men and women. I plan to read this agreement word for word in the next few days and to fully examine it with my colleagues and the experts in this arena with the intent of being a voice for hardworking American families."

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POCAN
News from
Congressman Mark Pocan
REPRESENTING WISCONSIN’S SECOND
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/repmarkpocan?hc_location=timeline> || Twitter <https://twitter.com/repmarkpocan> || YouTube <http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz5b47WER_u3dUGV_Zi70dQ?feature=plcp>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2015                                                
Contact:  David Kolovson <mailto:david.kolovson at mail.house.gov> (Pocan) 202-225-2906

Pocan: Release of Trans-Pacific Partnership Text Confirms Our Fears About Trade Deal
Text Reveals Deal Will Cost America Jobs, Lower Wages, Increase Unsafe Food Imports and Dismantle Consumer Protections

Washington, D.C - U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) provided the following statement after the Administration released the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership at 4:00am today:

“The release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership text confirms our fears about how bad this trade deal will be for American workers. This deal, which encompasses 40 percent of the global economy, will send more American jobs overseas and lower wages. Our workers will now have to directly compete with workers making pocket change in countries like Vietnam. We should not be surprised that a trade deal negotiated in secret by 600 corporate advisors gives huge sweetheart deals to multinational corporations while producing disastrous results for the middle class.

“Not only would this deal ship jobs overseas, destroying our communities and local economies in the process, but the deal will also have a widespread effect on issues ranging from drug prices to environmental protections to food safety. It will also almost double the number of corporations with access to special non-judicial courts to challenge state and local laws. In the end the TPP was worse than we thought it would be.”

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DOGGETT

Sniffing out true meaning of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett responded today to the release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

“I knew ‘Roxy’ the bloodhound would put us on the trail to the secret text.  Now it is a matter of determining the true meaning of about 2700 pages of text with multiple interconnected provisions and 58 side agreements.

An initial review of just the Environment Chapter shows that the text fails to meet USTR claims and even backslides from similar commitments made by President George W. Bush.  Enforceability provisions are weakened.  Binding “adopt, maintain, and implement” requirements have been altered for six of the seven Multilateral Environmental Agreements covered in the May 10, 2007 with Bush Administration (covering Peru, Columbian, Panama and Korea). In addition, language compelling prosecutors to enforce environmental obligations has been weakened. 

While USTR has also dumped stacks of tariff schedules, it has refused to respond to explain their true effect and value.” See Rep. Lloyd Doggett’s October 22, 2015 letter [attached] seeking to clarify boasts of “18,000” tax cuts for foreigners and failing to identify any that apply in America.   

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NOLAN

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 05, 2015
Contact Steve Johnson at 202-570-5440 <tel:202-570-5440> or steve.johnson at mail.house.gov <mailto:steve.johnson8 at mail.house.gov>

Nolan Statement on the Release of the TPP Agreement Text

[WASHINGTON D.C.] U.S. Rep Rick Nolan today released the following statement on the release of the full Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement text:

“After years of secret negotiations by foreign governments, multi-national corporations and their wealthy lobbyists, the public release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement reaffirms what the American people have long feared, and what those of us who have seen it already know: The TPP is terrible, job-killing public policy.

It promises to send more good American jobs overseas, close more American manufacturing facilities, and facilitate the dumping of hundreds of millions of additional tons of low-grade, foreign government-subsidized steel and other knock-offs of American manufactured goods into the U.S. marketplace. The effects on our Minnesota Iron Range mining industry, and on and our already depressed domestic steel industry would be devastating.

Moreover, the TPP will force American workers to compete on a lopsided playing field with nations like Vietnam and Malaysia, where wages are minimal and worker health and safety are of little or no concern. And it will provide other nations with the ability to skirt and undermine strong U.S. environmental, food safety, consumer privacy and intellectual property protections.

Make no mistake – Congressional opposition to the TPP is growing by the day, and it will continue to grow as the American people finally read this agreement and judge it for themselves.”

LEE
Create American Jobs, Don’t Offshore Them with TPP

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lee released this statement concerning the newly released text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement:

“After years of secret negotiations, classified drafts and unprecedented influence from multinational corporations and special interests, the American people can finally see the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

It’s far worst then we thought. Far from being the most progressive trade deal ever negotiated, it’s a template to ship American jobs overseas while undermining global human rights, environmental protections and labor standards.

We’ve watched this happen before with other bad trade deals. Since 1994, California has lost one in four manufacturing jobs because of NAFTA and other WTO agreements. This is unacceptable. Trade deals should create good-paying American jobs, not send them overseas.

In addition to the loss of American jobs, I am deeply troubled by the TPP’s impact on access to lifesaving medicines.

As co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, I want to highlight that UNAIDS warned <http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2015/july/20150728_trips_plus>, in July, against including TRIPS-plus measures in the TPP because of its negative impact on medicine-access in developing countries.  The TPP deviates from the May 10th agreement that was crafted to ensure access to lifesaving medicines in the developing world. This is simply wrong.

As Members of Congress, we cannot allow another bad trade deal to risk American jobs while putting American workers in a race to the bottom.

It’s past time for a trade policy that focuses on creating American jobs, expanding American exports and raising wage for American workers while improving global standards for human rights, the environment and labor practices.”
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.

TONKO

From Mr. Tonko:

“The TPP is NAFTA on steroids, plain and simple. Crafted in secret for six years, this deal would cost American jobs, suppress wages and lock us into agreements with countries that have abysmal human rights records. Our fight continues to push back against this terrible plan and protect domestic jobs and worker rights around the globe.”

KAPTUR

Representative Marcy Kaptur <https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeMarcyKaptur/?fref=photo>

Held a press conference at high noon today to respond to the release (at last!) of the U.S.-industry-liquidating endlessly-secretive corporate-negotiated job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

Massive trade deals like this one have cratered Ohio manufacturing for decades. Wages for working families are flat-lining. This deal simply repeats mistakes of past trade deals, encouraging more outsourcing & driving down wages by pitting U.S. workers in a global race to the bottom.

It also does little to open closed markets & even gives non-TPP nations many back-door routes into U.S. marketplace (see: rules of origin, investor-state dispute settlement). And the currency "side deal" isn't even a side deal anymore. It's a "forum." What a way to punt on rampant currency manipulation that is costing us hundreds of thousands more jobs. Plus not a single mention of climate change. 

Most progressive trade deal in history? Obviously we need a better measuring stick.

RYAN

Congressman Tim Ryan Responds to TPP Text Release
President Obama Released the Full Text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Today

Washington, DC – Congressman Tim Ryan released the following statement today in response to the release of the Trans-Pacific Partnership text:
"After years of secret meetings negotiations, the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has finally been released, and it reinforces that nothing that was done behind closed doors will help move our country forward. The text of TPP is worse than I thought, with provisions that will move jobs overseas and push wages down for hardworking American. Furthermore, this agreement is a slap in the face for American companies and workers when it comes to strong currency language; instead of promoting a level playing field around the world, TPP includes weak and unenforceable currency provisions that will do nothing to ensure the future competiveness of our country’s  manufacturing. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to fight TPP and make sure clandestine deals do not move our country backwards."
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GRAYSON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE:                  Nov. 6, 2015                                                                                                             
CONTACT:           Ken Scudder, 202-578-1903

Rep. Alan Grayson’s Statement Against the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement

Representative Alan Grayson (D-FL09), today made the following statement opposing elements of the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) that were released today

It comes as little surprise that a trade deal negotiated in secret has provisions protecting large corporations and banks, but no protection for American workers. Companies like General Electric and Caterpillar are expected to reap millions from TPP, while more American jobs are shipped overseas. This deal will hurt American wages, as our workers will be forced to compete with those from countries who pay as little as $0.65 an hour. It will remove important food safety regulations, endangering everyone. The only winners from this deal will be American corporations and foreign workers – not the American workers whose lives we should be working to improve.

Our trade debt currently stands at $11 trillion. This is money that we owe to other countries. The TPP will just make this worse. This trade imbalance is one of the biggest contributors to wage stagnation, income inequality, and the disappearance of the American middle class. We cannot have a true, and full, economic recovery until everyone is fully benefitting. Deals like TPP are counter to what we as a country should be pursuing.
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