Create American Jobs, Don’t Offshore Them with TPP
Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lee released this statement concerning the newly released text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement:
“After years of secret negotiations, classified drafts and unprecedented influence from multinational corporations and special interests, the American people can finally see the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
It’s far worst then we thought. Far from being the most progressive trade deal ever negotiated, it’s a template to ship American jobs overseas while undermining global human rights, environmental protections and labor standards.
We’ve watched this happen before with other bad trade deals. Since 1994, California has lost one in four manufacturing jobs because of NAFTA and other WTO agreements. This is unacceptable. Trade deals should create good-paying American jobs, not send them overseas.
In addition to the loss of American jobs, I am deeply troubled by the TPP’s impact on access to lifesaving medicines.
As co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, I want to highlight that UNAIDS warned, in July, against including TRIPS-plus measures in the TPP because of its negative impact on medicine-access in developing countries. The TPP deviates from the May 10th agreement that was crafted to ensure access to lifesaving medicines in the developing world. This is simply wrong.
As Members of Congress, we cannot allow another bad trade deal to risk American jobs while putting American workers in a race to the bottom.
It’s past time for a trade policy that focuses on creating American jobs, expanding American exports and raising wage for American workers while improving global standards for human rights, the environment and labor practices.”
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.