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Go Progressives! Congressional Progressive Caucus Offers A Real Alternative on Trade
Congressional Progressive Caucus Offers A Real Alternative on Trade
3/5/2015
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch just postponed the introduction of fast-track trade authority legislation until April.
Fast track is designed to grease the skids for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that is still being negotiated behind closed doors. Postponing the debate on fast track gives opponents another month to build opposition. It gives Republican leaders and the administration a month to line up every vote so that once introduced, it could be voted on overnight. They’re hoping to fast-track fast track....
... The president and his allies keep puffing the treaty’s potential to increase exports without mentioning what it will do for imports. They keep arguing the treaty will have the strongest labor rights provisions ever, while ignoring the fact that Vietnam, designated as the major low-wage producer in the deal, doesn’t even allow independent trade unions. They portray past treaties as successful, while claiming this one is different. Opponents tend to rail against various aspects of the still secret deal that has far more to do with rigging the rules for foreign investors than lowering tariffs. But objectors are often scorned as protectionists, Luddites who simply want to shut America off from the rest of the world.
This week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus broke through this mire, releasing its “Principles for Trade: A Model for Global Progress.” The principles lay out elements of an alternative trade strategy, one built to benefit workers, not investors, and to serve the public interest, not the special interests of global companies and banks. The CPC seeks more trade, but on terms that will strengthen working families, not sabotage them.
The CPC’s first principle is that the U.S. should commit to balanced trade. The CPC would have the U.S. announce the goal of restoring balanced trade, and create the policies needed to achieve this.
The CPC principles then elaborate, upending the thrust of current trade negotiations. Instead of the focus being on protecting foreign investors and cutting elaborate deals for various corporate interests, the CPC argues that trade accords should “put workers first,” contain labor protection provisions that can be enforced, by the Congress itself if necessary. All trade accords should require that signatories adopt the domestic labor rights as provided by core International Labor Organization conventions. This would require the U.S. to strengthen its labor laws as well.
Any agreement should prohibit currency manipulation, the central tactic of China and other mercantilist nations to capture markets.
Any agreement should provide a floor under environmental protections, while enabling countries to raise their standards above the floor. This is a stark contrast to current provisions that enable multinationals to collect damages if tighter environmental standards impacts their potential future profits.
Any agreement should enable countries to pass consumer protection measures without challenge. Trade accords would be prohibited from superseding domestic food and safety standards, financial regulations, and other consumer policies.
Any agreement should enable strong Buy America provisions in government contracting, and their equivalent for other countries. Surely taxpayers should have the right to use their taxes to give preference to domestic producers, not to foreign manufacturers.
Any agreement should secure affordable access to essential medicines and health services. The backroom deals driven by Big Pharma to protect and extend their patents make medicines too costly for many. No trade accord should delay access to affordable generic drugs.
Any U.S. trade accord should uphold the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Trade accords should be an instrument that promotes basic human rights, not undermine them.
Most important, the CPC would terminate the creation of a private court system for foreign investors. The current Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions give a foreign investor the right to sue a government in a specially created private court system. A small throng of high-priced lawyers serves as both advocate and arbiter. There is no appeal. Companies have sued for damages from countries strengthening their environmental laws, curbing cigarette packaging, deciding to shut down dangerous nuclear plants. This appalling subsidy to foreign investors – domestic corporations have no such protections – exemplifies the effects of backroom deals that serve corporate interests, against the public interest....
READ MORE~
http://ourfuture.org/20150305/the-congressional-progressive-caucus-a-real-alternative-on-trade?utm_source=progressive_breakfast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pbreak
3/5/2015
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch just postponed the introduction of fast-track trade authority legislation until April.
Fast track is designed to grease the skids for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that is still being negotiated behind closed doors. Postponing the debate on fast track gives opponents another month to build opposition. It gives Republican leaders and the administration a month to line up every vote so that once introduced, it could be voted on overnight. They’re hoping to fast-track fast track....
... The president and his allies keep puffing the treaty’s potential to increase exports without mentioning what it will do for imports. They keep arguing the treaty will have the strongest labor rights provisions ever, while ignoring the fact that Vietnam, designated as the major low-wage producer in the deal, doesn’t even allow independent trade unions. They portray past treaties as successful, while claiming this one is different. Opponents tend to rail against various aspects of the still secret deal that has far more to do with rigging the rules for foreign investors than lowering tariffs. But objectors are often scorned as protectionists, Luddites who simply want to shut America off from the rest of the world.
This week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus broke through this mire, releasing its “Principles for Trade: A Model for Global Progress.” The principles lay out elements of an alternative trade strategy, one built to benefit workers, not investors, and to serve the public interest, not the special interests of global companies and banks. The CPC seeks more trade, but on terms that will strengthen working families, not sabotage them.
The CPC’s first principle is that the U.S. should commit to balanced trade. The CPC would have the U.S. announce the goal of restoring balanced trade, and create the policies needed to achieve this.
The CPC principles then elaborate, upending the thrust of current trade negotiations. Instead of the focus being on protecting foreign investors and cutting elaborate deals for various corporate interests, the CPC argues that trade accords should “put workers first,” contain labor protection provisions that can be enforced, by the Congress itself if necessary. All trade accords should require that signatories adopt the domestic labor rights as provided by core International Labor Organization conventions. This would require the U.S. to strengthen its labor laws as well.
Any agreement should prohibit currency manipulation, the central tactic of China and other mercantilist nations to capture markets.
Any agreement should provide a floor under environmental protections, while enabling countries to raise their standards above the floor. This is a stark contrast to current provisions that enable multinationals to collect damages if tighter environmental standards impacts their potential future profits.
Any agreement should enable countries to pass consumer protection measures without challenge. Trade accords would be prohibited from superseding domestic food and safety standards, financial regulations, and other consumer policies.
Any agreement should enable strong Buy America provisions in government contracting, and their equivalent for other countries. Surely taxpayers should have the right to use their taxes to give preference to domestic producers, not to foreign manufacturers.
Any agreement should secure affordable access to essential medicines and health services. The backroom deals driven by Big Pharma to protect and extend their patents make medicines too costly for many. No trade accord should delay access to affordable generic drugs.
Any U.S. trade accord should uphold the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Trade accords should be an instrument that promotes basic human rights, not undermine them.
Most important, the CPC would terminate the creation of a private court system for foreign investors. The current Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions give a foreign investor the right to sue a government in a specially created private court system. A small throng of high-priced lawyers serves as both advocate and arbiter. There is no appeal. Companies have sued for damages from countries strengthening their environmental laws, curbing cigarette packaging, deciding to shut down dangerous nuclear plants. This appalling subsidy to foreign investors – domestic corporations have no such protections – exemplifies the effects of backroom deals that serve corporate interests, against the public interest....
READ MORE~
http://ourfuture.org/20150305/the-congressional-progressive-caucus-a-real-alternative-on-trade?utm_source=progressive_breakfast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pbreak
28 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Who TRULY represent US.
*********
Caucus Members
Co-Chairs
Raúl Grijalva
Keith Ellison
First Vice Chair
Mark Pocan
Vice Chairs
Matt Cartwright
David Cicilline
Ruben Gallego
Michael Honda
Sheila Jackson-Lee
Jan Schakowsky
Mark Takano
Whip
Barbara Lee
Senate Member
Bernie Sanders
House Members
Alma Adams
Karen Bass
Xavier Becerra
Don Beyer
Suzanne Bonamici
Corrine Brown
Michael Capuano
Andre Carson
Judy Chu
Katherine Clark
Yvette Clarke
Steve Cohen
Bonnie Watson Coleman
John Conyers
Elijah Cummings
Danny Davis
Peter DeFazio
Rosa DeLauro
Sam Farr
Chaka Fattah
Lois Frankel
Marcia Fudge
Alan Grayson
Luis Gutierrez
Janice Hahn
Jared Huffman
Sheila Jackson-Lee
Hakeem Jeffries
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Hank Johnson
Joe Kennedy III
Brenda Lawrence
John Lewis
Ted Lieu
David Loebsack
Alan Lowenthal
Carolyn Maloney
Jim McDermott
James McGovern
Gwen Moore
Jerrold Nadler
Grace Napolitano
Rick Nolan
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Frank Pallone
Chellie Pingree
Jared Polis
Charles Rangel
Lucille Roybal-Allard
Jose Serrano
Louise Slaughter
Mark Takai
Bennie Thompson
Nydia Velazquez
Maxine Waters
Peter Welch
Frederica Wilson
*****************
...and why is there not more K&R's for this thread here on DU?????????????????????
I'm bookmarking for hope.. 
