TPA and TPP Controversy and Progress

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February 20, 2015

    During a congressional recess in the third week of February, opponents of the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) organized demonstrations directed at designated democratic members of Congress: Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) and Representatives Sam Farr (CA), Jared Polis (CO), Jim Himes (CT), Richard Neal (MA), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Suzan DelBene (WA), Kurt Schrader (OR), Mike Quigley (IL) and Suzanne Bonamici (OR).  Two meetings were also held with Democratic Representatives Bill Foster (IL) and Tammy Duckworth (IL) regarding the discontent over the TPA.  Out of the twelve members involved in the demonstrations and meetings, only two signed a 2013 letter from 151 Democratic Representatives expressing their issues with the TPA.  Of the eight Representatives who served in Congress during the 2011 term, all of them voted for the U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Panama, seven out of eight supported the Free Trade Agreement with South Korea, and six out of eight supported the agreement with Colombia.

    At the same time, government figures are trying to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and accomplishments President Obama has made in regards to trade.  Ambassador Froman from the Office of the United States Trade Representative visited a cosmetic factory in Texas to promote the sale and export of goods made in America.  He stated, “The groundbreaking trade agreements we’re negotiating with the Asia-Pacific region and the European Union are at the heart of President Obama’s strategy for ‘Middle Class Economics.’"

    However there is also discontent with the progress of the TPP.  The House Committee on Ways and Means released a document entitled “In Malaysia, Ryan Delegation Urges Progress in TPP Negotiations.”  In the press release from February 18, 2015, the members of committee stated that Malaysia “has many outstanding commitments it still needs to make to conclude a successful Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.”  According to the Committee, there are still negotiations to be made regarding “state-owned enterprises, market-access exceptions, intellectual property, and labor.”  Additionally, five members of Congress addressed a letter on February 18, 2015 to President Obama regarding the LGBT injustices in Brunei and Malaysia.  They acknowledged that Gambia was removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000 due to their LGBT abuses, but the same stance has not been taken to correct the LGBT injustices in Brunei and Malaysia through the TPP.  The day after, Jared Polis, a Democratic Representative in Congress from Colorado and co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, discussed the abuses of the LGBT community in Brunei and Malaysia.  In the letter, Representative Polis stated, “As negotiations over the TPP proceed, I hope you will seize the occasion by expressing to the governments of Brunei and Malaysia in no uncertain terms that their violations of basic human rights must end.”  

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