As the fight against the TPP continues, we’re seeing more and more of our elected officials take action in addressing the bad deal. The time for neutrality has passed and from Washington State to Washington D.C elected officials are taking note!
Yesterday, the Seattle City Council made a HUGE move with an open letter to members of Washington’s Congressional delegation, urging them to vote against the deal. The action followed up on their March 2015 resolution that expressed opposition to Track Promotion Authority (“Fast Track”) for the TPP. The letter detailed how the agreement would undermine the city’s progress in a wide range of sectors, including carbon neutrality goals, job creation, the move to $15 minimum wage, incentives for in-state purchases, and affordable healthcare/Medicaid access. Councilmember Mike O’Brien spearheaded the letter, which was signed by all nine members of the Council!
EMAIL CITY COUNCIL TO THANK THEM at council@seattle.gov
Also yesterday, Representative Sander Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat in the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees trade, announced opposition to the TPP. In his statement on his position, Levin raised concern over the TPP’s provisions on worker’s rights, currency manipulation, the rules of origin, and investment and the impeding impact on access to affordable medicine, environmental standards and state-owned enterprises.
“Trade touches all aspects of our lives, and we are setting an economic framework for generations. We cannot afford to lock-in weak standards, uncompetitive practices, and a system that does not broadly spread the benefits of trade, affecting the paychecks of American families. To not get it right is to get it wrong. And this TPP as negotiated is not right for America.”
As we continue to organize, here in Washington and across the country, we will continue to see more of our elected officials move towards the interests of their constituents and to stop the TPP. Let’s keep fighting the good fight!
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