Pacific Free Trade Deal Influenced by Corporate Interests - US Senator

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Tran-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations has been negotiated with the input of special interests and little transparency, US Senator Bernie Sanders stated in a statement.

“This job-killing trade deal has been negotiated in secret,” Sanders said on Wednesday. “It was drafted with input by special interests and corporate lobbyists but not from the elected representatives of the American people.”

Sanders suggested that instead of rubber stamping the agreement, Congress and the public deserve a fair chance to learn what is in the proposal. “It is absurd that a trade agreement of such enormous consequence has had so little transparency,” he said.

The TPP is a trade and regulatory treaty negotiated between 12 Pacific Rim nations, which goes beyond lowering traditional trade barriers, such as tariffs and quotas, and is expected to include rules on regulatory policies such as competition law. The 12 countries are also expected to agree upon rules on the conduct of state-owned enterprises, which sometimes receive subsidies from governments or give subsidies to others — both of which can allow for undercutting of rivals.

US President Barack Obama has asked the US Congress to renew fast-track trade authority, which would allow the US Congress to vote up or down on the final trade deal without adding amendments.

Sanders argued the agreement would force US workers to compete with low-wage workers in Asia as well as give foreign corporations the right to challenge US laws in international courts, both of which he said were unacceptable.

Proponents of TPP argue the trade deal will boost job growth, increase the economy and expand US exports.