Eight Leading Members of Congress Request Access to TPP Negotiations in Leesburg

[Teamster Jeff]

http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2012/08/eight-members-of-congress-request-access-to-leesburg-round-tpp-negotiations.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eyesontrade+%28Eyes+on+Trade%29

On Tuesday eight Members of Congress sent a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk, head of USTR, requesting observer access to the upcoming TPP negotiations in Leesburg, VA which will take place September 6 –15, 2012.

The letter follows one in June in which 132 members of the House of Representatives called on the Obama Administration to release the text of the TPP and engage Congress on negotiating priorites. Having received no response, these eight members have followed up to request direct congressional oversight of the TPP negotiations:

“…so as to ensure that there is ample opportunity for Congress to have a clear understanding of and input on critical policies that will have broad ramifications for years to come, we are requesting that you facility our ability to observe the TPP negotiations directly.”

The signatories are not only leaders within Congress, but have also shown compelling experience and initiative relating to several of the issues most at stake in the TPP, including labor, access to medicines, copyright, food safety and environmental protection, among others.

They are all Democrats: Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, George Miller of California, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Nick Rahall of West Virginia, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Donna Edwards of Maryland, Peter DeFazio of Oregon and John Conyers of Michigan.

Our Reps are locked out while 600 official "advisors" (84% of them representing corporate interests) are given direct access to TPP text and negotiators. Wal-Mart, Cargill and Halliburton all have official trade advisors involved.

Who is lined up to benefit from this trade agreement? Who is going to get screwed?

[northoftheborder]

1. Important, lets stay tuned and informed of these secret negotiations.