Got this letter from Senator Reid. I think we should all be looking more at the TTP. I find the Senators letter very encouraging. Dear Mr. Couture: Thank you for your letter regarding your concerns with the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. I appreciate hearing from you. As you may know, I have consistently opposed trade agreements that fail to include adequate labor and environmental protections, which could eliminate jobs and industries in this country. I voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and other trade agreements because I felt that they did not include the necessary standards to prevent abuse to the environment or to workers. I voted against the Trade Act of 2002, which gave the President fast-track authority to negotiate future trade agreements, cutting Congress out of the process almost completely. I opposed the legislation granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China and have pushed hard to ensure that U.S. trade officials aggressively enforce U.S. fair trade laws and push China and other foreign countries to play by the rules. Most recently, I voted against free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Regarding transparency in the TPP negotiating process, you are correct that the negotiations themselves are not public. However, you may be interested to know that Congressional committees, including the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, have held several public hearings on the TPP. I encourage you to visit the Committees websites to view the hearings. You may also be interested to know that the public can submit comments on the TPP to the USTR here: ustr.gov/tpp/comment. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I will be sure to keep them in mind should this agreement come before the full Senate during the 113th Congress. My best wishes to you. Sincerely, HARRY REID United States Senator Bernie Sanders
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:31:23 +0000
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