Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Office of the United States Trade Representative”
Over the past month, trade officials have been frantically working to resolve outstanding disagreements over provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the midst of speculation that the deal is in deep trouble. At this late stage of negotiations, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has pretty much abandoned all remaining pretense of transparency in its consideration of these remaining policy …
One of the sad but important consequences for our system of government, in the face of such a process, is that not only do the economic elites now control the system, but more importantly, our elitist-backed politicians have no vision beyond the self-interestedness of catering to the money the elites use to support them. The people are out; the future is irrelevant; …
Although the House of Representatives voted down legislation to “fast-track” trade deals through Congress – it appears the TPP may have already secured its future with millions in donations made to US Senators since the start of the year… The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal negotiations hit the mainstream over the past month with a US Senate approval of the controversial trade bill …
The Transatlantic and Transpacific Trade and Investment Partnerships have nothing to do with free trade. “Free trade” is used as a disguise to hide the power these agreements give to corporations to use law suits to overturn sovereign laws of nations that regulate pollution, food safety, GMOs, and minimum wages. The first thing to understand is that these so-called “partnerships” …
Great minds seem to be working alike. Our resident Japan expert, Clive, had pointed out that the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, had nothing to offer Japan to change its indifference to the proposed TransPacific Partnership. Only the State Department could serve up the needed inducements, and they were missing in action. But that changed as Obama became more eager …
President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama: You have taken a strong across-the-board position favoring the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) nearing completion and scheduled for a fast track clearance vote in the Congress. Indeed, you have descended admirably from your presidential perch to take on the most informed critics of this agreement …
The fight over Fast Track just got real. U.S. House and Senate leaders announced Thursday afternoon that they have reached a deal on legislation aimed at jamming the Trans Pacific Partnership through Congress. “Congress shouldn’t throw Americans under the bus by giving up its authority over this unprecedented giveaway to multinational corporations.” —Murshed Zaheed, CREDO The so-called Fast Track bill (The Bipartisan …
Warning that passing Fast Track legislation would amount to rubber-stamping corporate trade pacts like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, progressives are vowing to hold members of Congress accountable for their votes on the compromise bill announced Thursday—and reminding them of how dangerous such trade policies are for the public, workers, and the planet. “[T]he big deal is that Fast Track sets the stage for …
The fight over Fast Track just got real. U.S. House and Senate leaders announced Thursday afternoon that they have reached a deal on legislation aimed at jamming the Trans Pacific Partnership through Congress. “Congress shouldn’t throw Americans under the bus by giving up its authority over this unprecedented giveaway to multinational corporations.” —Murshed Zaheed, CREDO The so-called Fast Track bill (The Bipartisan …
Critics of the corporate-friendly Trans-Pacific Partnership are lining up against what they call an “astroturf” operation claiming to represent progressives in favor of Fast Tracking the sweeping and secretive trade deal. No such progressives exist, they say. Last month, a Democratic political consulting firm founded by former Obama administration staffers launched a website dubbed “Progressive Coalition for American Jobs,” which claimed to prove …
