Today (Monday), trade ministers from the United States and 11 other countries reached agreement on the contentious Trans-Pacific Partnership. Oregon’s Congressman Peter DeFazio, however, continues to oppose it.
DeFazio issued a statement calling the TPP “the biggest, worst trade deal in history.” He’s been speaking against the TPP for years. If passed, it would phase out tariffs and other barriers to trade between the United States, Japan, Vietnam and others. In June, DeFazio said the TPP has the same problems as earlier policies, like the North American Free Trade Agreement:
DeFazio: “How many times will Congress pretend to be fooled by yet another job killing trade agreement? First there was NAFTA. It told us it would create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Unfortunately they neglected to say they would be south of the border.”
In his statement, DeFazio says the deal’s specifics haven’t changed much. He says it allows corporations to attack consumer protections in favor of bigger profits and keeps people in developing countries from getting affordable, life-saving drugs. The agreement now faces months of debate in Congress.