[CTC] First Look at TPP -- Rep. Levin's Enviro Hearing

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Washington Trade Daily
Volume 24, Number 230 Wednesday, November 18, 2015
 
First Look at TPP
House Democrats who turned out yesterday for the first in a series of informal sessions on the
recently released TransPacific Partnership seemed mostly skeptical about the pact, but the leader of the
moderate New Democrats Coalition told WTD he thinks more Democrats will vote for TPP than they
did earlier this year for Trade Promotion Authority (WTD, 11/17/15).
 
Only 28 House Democrats voted then to give President Obama TPA – and some opponents are
predicting there will be even fewer votes for TPP. But Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc) said he believes there
could be many more Democrats voting for TPP once they have time to review the deal and see that the
Administration was careful to address most of their concerns.
 
Lawmakers will have months to review the agreement, Mr. Kind added.
 
House Ways and Means Committee ranking Democrat Sander Levin (Mich) kicked off the
review process yesterday by convening the first in a series of sessions – open to all Democrats – aimed at
allowing lawmakers to take a “deep dive” into the details of the TPP.
 
Yesterday’s session focused on the environment.
 
Speaking to reporters after the session, Mr. Levin said he is not ready to take a position on TPP –
including whether anything needs to be renegotiated.
 
But some Democrats at the session said they think TPP’s environmental provisions take a step
back from the bipartisan “May 10" agreement reached between Congressional Democrats and the
Republican Bush Administration in 2007. Democrats had intended the agreement to set a “floor, not a
ceiling” for environmental protections in future free trade agreements, commented Rep. Lloyd Doggett
(D-Texas). The TPP actually appears to lower the floor set by “May 10", he said.
 
‘May 10'
 
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) said he voted for the bilateral FTA with Peru because of the “May 10"
agreement. The environmental provisions in that agreement have not been enforced and appear even
weaker in the TPP, he suggested.
 
But Mr. Kind believes the TPP’s environmental chapter is better than the status quo in which
there are no obligations to protect the environment.
 
Testifying earlier in the day at the US International Trade Commission, Mr. Levin urged the
body to go deeper than it has in the past in analyzing the economic impact of the TPP – as required by
TPA. He spoke at a ITC hearing on the economic impact of existing US FTAs – also mandated by
TPA.
 
The ITC should look at the economic impact existing trade deals have had on income inequality
and the median wage, Mr. Levin suggested. And those same issues should be considered when the
commission turns to its analysis of the TPP.
 
The ITC has scheduled a hearing on the economic impact of the TPP for January 13.
At a separate forum yesterday, some conservative House Republicans indicated they also are
skeptical about the TPP. Rep. David Brat (R-Va) took issue with the Administration’s contention that
the trade pact cannot be reopened. He also complained that the Administration appears to have given in
to Japan on market access for US autos without getting anything in return.
 
Iowa Republican Steve King said he will not support the TPP unless the customs reauthorization
bill (HR 644) – stuck in conference for months – becomes law. The customs bill is important to
conservatives because it contains two provisions that they wanted in TPA – barring the Administration
from negotiating on climate change and immigration provisions in trade agreements.
 
At the end of the day, members will make their decision on TPP based on whether or not it
benefits their districts, said Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas). But because of the complexity of the deal, that
will be a difficult call to make. Members are likely to find some sectors in their districts that benefit from
the TPP, while others will not, he added.
 
It will “take a lot of time” for lawmakers to digest the TPP, agreed Rep. Tim Huelskamp (RIowa),
who said he is still working his way through the massive document and is not yet ready to take a
position.
 
 
 
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