House Democrats Pledge to Oppose 'Outdated' TPA
More than 150 House members pledged in a Nov. 13 letter to President Barack Obama to oppose Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that fails to address the 21st Century trade environment by usurping Congressional power to shape trade policy. The opaque Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks demonstrate the current exclusion of Congress from influencing trade negotiations, said the letter. The 151 members vowed to oppose an “outdated,” “twentieth century” TPA, or “any other mechanism” that perpetuates that exclusion.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
“We remain deeply troubled by the continued lack of adequate congressional consultation in many areas of the proposed pact that deeply implicates Congress’ constitutional and domestic policy authorities,” said the letter, noting congressional insight is critical for a range of policy issues. “Beyond traditional tariff issues, these include policies related to labor, patent and copyright, land use, food, agriculture and product standards, natural resources, the environment, professional licensing, competition, state-owned enterprises and government procurement policies, as well as financial, healthcare, energy, e-commerce, telecommunications and other service sector regulations.”
The letter echoed calls in another House Democrat letter (here), submitted on Nov. 8, that demands greater congressional trade authority than granted in the 2002 TPA legislation. That letter also urged the inclusion of Trade Adjustment Assistance in TPA. The WikiLeaks publication on Nov. 13 of what it said was an August version of the TPP Intellectual Property chapter provoked advocacy group criticism of minimal congressional involvement in TPP negotiations (see 13111323). Twenty-two House Republicans told President Barack Obama in a separate Nov. 12 letter they would oppose TPA because the legislation sacrifices congressional authority to set the terms of trade (see 13111230).