[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           TPP--GET IT RIGHT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement 
is the biggest trade deal our country has seen since NAFTA. With 12 
participating countries, it encompasses 40 percent of the world's gross 
domestic product, so we have to get it right.
  Working men and women in our communities are counting on us to get it 
right, not just fast, and that is why I oppose granting fast-track 
authority. You can see the impact of fast-tracked trade agreements in 
communities across the country, in the loss of hundreds of thousands of 
jobs, factory jobs, middle class jobs, and lower wages for hard-working 
Americans.
  In fact, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that since NAFTA, 
the U.S. has lost more than 700,000 jobs as production has moved to 
Mexico. The communities I represent in south central Wisconsin bear the 
scars of past trade agreements which have not lived up to what the 
supporters say for fast track.
  Take Janesville, Wisconsin. Parker Pen has been in Janesville, 
Wisconsin, and employed at one time over 1,000 workers. Thanks to bad 
trade deals, in 2009, the remaining 150 jobs were shipped to Mexico. We 
are not just talking the last few years. We are talking the last few 
months.
  In Darlington, Wisconsin, the Merkle-Korff Industries plant in 
Darlington, a town of 2,400 people, announced they are closing. Thirty-
six family-supporting jobs are leaving that community. If that were 
proportional in Madison, Wisconsin, that would be like losing 3,600 
jobs in a community that size.
  Every time an American job is shipped out of the country, it pushes 
wages down for workers here.
  Now, fast-track authority means that the American people, through 
their elected Representatives, will lose their voice in Congress by 
limiting the ability of Congress to debate and to amend the trade 
agreement.
  Due to limited debate, because of the fast-track process, each Member 
would have a little over 2 minutes to debate that trade deal. Members 
would have no opportunity to offer amendments on an agreement that has 
29 chapters, that covers everything from food safety to environmental 
standards, labor rights, intellectual property, and more.
  It would give Congress' constitutional authority to the President for 
6 years. That means this President, the next President, and 
potentially, the next President; and all Congress would be left with is 
a yes-or-no vote.
  Before Congress grants fast-track authority, we need to get the 
Trans-Pacific Partnership right. What does it mean to get it right? 
Well, one, it means having strong enforcement language to protect 
American workers and our environment, which we don't currently have in 
the current deal.
  On several occasions, I have reviewed the labor and environmental 
chapters of the law. While, in some instances, the language is 
marginally better, it still lacks enforcement.
  With the Colombia free trade agreement, we can see exactly what 
happened. While language has been implemented in the law to protect 
labor rights, there has been absolutely no implementation of that 
language. In fact, in the 4 years since the Colombia free trade 
agreement has passed, 105 union organizers have been killed--murdered--
in that country. The environmental chapter, I would argue, is arguably 
worse and still lacks the same enforcement capacity to protect our 
country.
  Getting TPP means scrapping the investor state dispute settlement 
provisions that put corporate interests ahead of American sovereignty.
  The ISDS provisions are unique. They create a tribunal run by the 
same corporate trade lawyers who, on Monday, represent the 
multinational corporations; on Tuesday, are supposed to be the fair 
arbitrators of the law; and on Wednesday, are back on the corporate 
payroll.
  These provisions are only for multinational corporations and not for 
American small businesses or labor or environmental violations.
  Getting the Trans-Pacific Partnership right means having other 
important provisions included, like currency manipulation, protections 
against human trafficking, and protections for human rights for LGBT 
individuals and for single mothers in countries that have implemented 
sharia law.
  Getting the Trans-Pacific Partnership right means having open and 
transparent negotiations because there is still too much the American 
people don't know about this secretive agreement. After all, only about 
600 people have been involved in drafting this agreement, largely 
corporate CEOs, but not you and not me.
  The bottom line is that this will cost jobs and wages. Another bad 
trade deal will cost more American jobs and lower our wages.
  We have seen how free trade agreements like NAFTA, CAFTA, and the 
U.S-Korea Free Trade Agreement passed using the same fast-track process 
have turned out to be a bad deal for American workers.
  We need to get this right, not just fast. Congress must say ``no'' to 
the fast-track process.

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