Senator Brown blocks USTR nominee to protest tpp secrecy

[cali]

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has decided to block a cabinet-level trade nominee from being confirmed, saying he will relent if President Barack Obama drops a secrecy requirement that has made it hard for Congress to review a pending trade deal with Pacific Rim nations.

The 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, deal still faces negotiating hurdles, but Obama has allowed members of Congress and certain aides to review the text as of now. But the review comes with conditions: the aides must have security clearances, and they may not view the documents unless a member of Congress joins them.

Since Congress members are busy, that makes it tough for aides to spend considerable amounts of time fully reading and understanding details of the pending deal, Brown says. Worse, says the Ohio Democrat, private-sector executives and lobbyists from certain industries, from pharmaceuticals to textiles to finance, have better access because the Obama administration has included them in its TPP consultations.

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http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2015/08/sen_sherrod_brown_blocks_trade.html

[KG]

1. why does he hate obama?

[djean111]

2. If I ever have a chance to vote for him (since I do not live in his state) - I certainly will vote

for him. Very brave and principled stand.