WASHINGTON – The Obama administration continues to work on the provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal that has been secretly negotiated for several years. Obama urges Congress to “fast track” the deal when it is finally released, which means an up-or-down vote with no amendment or debate.
On Wednesday, lawmakers joined a crowd of 600 union workers from across the country in front of the Capitol to protest the fast track and ask for fair trade. Looking back to the past free trade deals like NAFTA, the leaders who were present concluded that an even bigger deal would cost the U.S. more jobs and damage the economy.
The 12 member-countries involved in the trade agreement include the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.