President Barack Obama is facing renewed opposition to his effort to implement so-called “fast track” trade promotion authority, a power that would enable him to negotiate trade deals and speed them through Congress.
Democrats are rallying a coalition of labor, environmental, and religious groups, backed by a core group of lawmakers, to fight the implementation of the promotion authority they say would give the president free rein to arrange trade deals without input from Congress and with no regard for job loss, food safety, and financial regulation.
Trade promotion authority would grant Congress an “up or down” vote on any trade deal that reached Capitol Hill.
“This is one of the broadest advocacy coalitions that we’ve had,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), who is leading the coalition, said during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday. “There is no reason why we should exacerbate the loss of jobs or lower wages in the United States.”
Chief among the coalition’s concerns is Obama’s would-be approval of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would lower trade barriers between the U.S. and 12 nations that make up 40 percent of the global economy.
Critics say the deal threatens civil liberties, workers rights, public health, food safety, and global financial stability. Its secretive negotiations are also a contentious issue, as the full text of the trade deal itself remains hidden from Congress and the public view, while representatives from banks, pharmaceutical companies, and other corporate interests have been allowed access to the documents.
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