[CTC] Sanders vows to stop Obama trade deal

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Video from the press event is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhD5OOVI8qQ&feature=youtu.be


http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/268145-sanders-vows-to-stop-obama-trade-deal

Sanders vows to stop Obama trade deal


By Vicki Needham <http://thehill.com/author/vicki-needham> - 02/03/16 06:58 PM EST
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Wednesday said he would stop a sweeping Asia-Pacific agreement if he wins the White House. 

The Vermont senator blasted the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as trade ministers for the 12 partners in the deal gathered in New Zealand to sign it.

“As your president, not only will I make sure that the TPP does not get implemented, I will not send any trade deal to Congress that will make it easier for corporations to outsource American jobs overseas,” Sanders said.
If elected, Sanders said he would "fundamentally rewrite our trade policies to benefit working families, not just the CEOs of large, multinational corporations."

"Trade is a good thing. But trade has got to be fair. And the TPP is anything but fair," Sanders said during a press conference in New Hampshire. 

Sanders has opposed the TPP, as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and permanent normal trade relations with China. 

“In addition to shipping thousands of jobs overseas, the Trans-Pacific Partnership would increase already skyrocketing drug prices and threaten American laws that protect the environment, workers and consumers,” Sanders said. 

He argues that NAFTA led to the loss of 700,000 jobs.

The United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations on Wednesday signed the TPP in Auckland.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sanders took a shot on Twitter at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s stance on trade and her progressive bona fides. “Most progressives I know are firm from day one in opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. They didn't have to think about it a whole lot.”

Clinton advocated for the TPP agreement while she was secretary of State, arguing it would set a "gold standard" for trade accords.

But she came out against the deal shortly after it was completed in early October. 

"I think there are still a lot of unanswered questions," Clinton said in an interview with PBS' "Newshour." 

“What I know about it, as of today I’m not in favor of what I’ve learned about it,” she said.  

“I appreciate the hard work that President Obama and his team put into this process and recognize the strides they made. But the bar here is very high and, based on what I have seen, I don’t believe this agreement has met it.”
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