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including 19 rounds, so Negotiating Objectives are mere window dressing and will not alter the

content of the TPP. While 600 corporate advisers have been involved in negotiating the TPP,

Congress has been shut out of the process and now President Obama is asking Congress to cede

its constitutional responsibility over trade and to serve as a proper check and balance.

As a candidate, President Obama said he would replace the anti-democratic Fast Track process,

but as president he now seeks Fast Track.

Fast Track allows an unpopular trade law to be passed without adequate Congressional

oversight, but Members of Congress will be held responsible by voters when these agreements

become law and undermine the economy and public health and safety.

With regard to the TPP there are a lot of issues which raise serious questions. Congress should

demand transparency and hold hearings to examine these issues.

1. In September 2013, the Center for Economic and Policy Research issued a report, “Gains

From Trade: The Net Effect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership on US Wages.” The report

made two findings: (1) The TPP would only increase the US GDP by a tiny 0.1% annually.

(2) The TPP will continue the downward slide in US wages resulting in 90% of

Americans seeing their incomes decrease. Thus, the TPP will add to the very serious

problem of the vast wealth divide in the United States and the shrinking and

impoverishment of working Americans.

2. The TPP is called ‘NAFTA on steroids’ because it follows the same basic model of

NAFTA, but includes many more countries and covers even more aspects of the

economy. How are American workers going to compete with Vietnamese workers who

get paid 25¢ per hour? NAFTA cost the United States more than 600,000 jobs. It

spurred undocumented immigration because it forced small farmers off their farms and

into the cities, thereby lowering wages in Mexico. What will ‘NAFTA on steroids’ do to

US jobs, wages and issues like immigration?

3. TPP will undermine laws and consumer choice. In recent years Americans have wanted

to spend their money to Buy Local, Buy American, Buy Green, Buy Sweatshop-Free, and

other targeted policies. These sensible ideas have swept across the country and are very

popular with Americans who want to boost American products and local and

independent businesses rather than buying imported products that send US dollars

overseas causing a massive trade deficit. Americans will be angry with elected officials

who allow this to happen.

4. The TPP will undermine laws passed by Congress as well as state and local legislatures.

In fact, the TPP has 29 chapters but only 5 actually deal with trade issues, like tariffs.

The other chapters concern a wide array of issues forcing US laws to be modified to

conform to the TPP. This includes laws on food safety, energy including fracking and tar

sands, wages and labor conditions, Internet freedom, banking and finance regulation,

healthcare and drug prices, public services like transportation, utilities and education,

among others. The TPP will affect virtually every aspect of the lives of Americans; such a

massive agreement requires careful consideration by Congress, hearings, expert

testimony, citizen input and amendments by Congress. Fast Track is inappropriate for an

agreement with such broad impacts.

Sample Letter To Congressman - Fast Track Trade Authority For The Trans-Pacific Partnership (Tpp) Page 2