The United States and eleven other nations are working on a massive new trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. According to Public Policy Polling, 63% of Oregonians oppose the TPP, and 73% oppose giving the president “Fast Track” authority to ram trade deals through Congress without amendments. Oregonians are right. In 2012, President Obama pushed through a similar “free trade” agreement with Korea. He promised it would increase exports and create jobs. He was wrong. It hurt exports and killed more than 93,000 US jobs. The failed Korea agreement is the template for the TPP. The TPP would increase the number of foreign corporations able to challenge any US federal, state, or local law: any law that might jeopardize foreign corporate profit, including laws on environmental protection, food and water safety, public health, working conditions, and internet network equality. Forget due process. Judgment is passed by secretive tribunals whose rulings are final. There is no appeal to regular US courts. The number of such claims filed under existing “free trade” agreements is increasing: from a few in 1995 to at least 600 by 2014. But the proceedings are conducted in secrecy. The actual number may be higher. The TPP will fuel inequality, kill jobs, and undermine health, environmental and financial regulations. Oregonians are right: it must be stopped.

The attack on America’s diplomats in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 was a tragedy. We lost four of our finest public servants, and there are lessons to be learned from the incident. Instead of focusing on improving our diplomatic security, Republicans in Congress have turned the Benghazi investigation into a yearlong, $3 million taxpayer-funded political witch-hunt directed at Hillary Clinton. The U.S. House’s “Select Committee on Benghazi” has failed to produce a single actionable finding after wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. And yet, its chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has already hinted that his “investigation” might not be done until right before the 2016 election! Our country faces enormous challenges, here at home and abroad. We have our work cut out for us. We should be focused on improving security for our diplomats abroad, and we can’t afford to keep wasting time and money on this political sideshow. Sign the Petition: tell Congress it’s time to end the Benghazi madness and get back to work!

I was a beneficiary in this system for many years, and successfully returned to the workforce after furthering my education. I have been given many opportunities in life, and want to see our legislators reform this system so those who are able to return to the workforce are able to receive job training without penalty. The current system places severe time limits and income restrictions on beneficiaries who want to move ahead with their lives. In a time of huge inequality, everyone should have the opportunity to improve their future.

Right-wing forces that want to maintain Israel-Palestine in a state of permanent war have attached provisions to the trade bills before the House that would make it US policy to promote illegal settlements in Palestine, reversing longstanding US policy. These provisions would require the US to oppose European restrictions against trade with illegal colonies in Palestine. These European policies to uphold international law are supported by Human Rights Watch. Trying to protect the settlements from international law would be an endorsement of permanent war, because any plausible diplomatic resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict requires that the threat of illegal colonies to Palestinian statehood be eliminated. Supporting the settlements means opposing a plausible diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Without a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, more war is inevitable. Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer is in a unique position to force the removal of these pro-war provisions, because 1) he has been a champion of US diplomacy in the Middle East and 2) he is among a handful of House Democrats who have indicated that they are likely to support the trade bills; Blumenauer voted for them in committee. Urge Rep. Blumenauer to publicly demand the removal of the pro-settlement provisions from the trade bills by signing our petition.

State Correctional Institute-Greene inmates have been on a hunger strike since 5/16/2015 due to staff mistreatment. There are good and bad staff within any establishment. We request a thorough investigation to remove the corrupt ones, who support: 1. Illegal gang units without a policy or funding from Department of Justice. 2. Unwarranted investigation in which an arbitrar denies prisoners procedural due process involving their confinement. 3. Housing prisoners on administration custody status pending so-called separation transfer as a way to keep prisoners locked down on A.C. status for months on end. 4. Tampering with inmates' outgoing and incoming mail, which violates D.O.C. policies and procedures as well as constitutional standards. 5. Violating of D.O.C. code of ethics on many aspects arranging from falsifying reports etc., 6. Denying prisoner’s property such as basic life necessity upon their arrival to RHU. 7. Denial of eye glasses to prisoner with severe medical condition involving their eyes while in RHU. 8. Destruction of prisoner’s legal property and personal property which interferes with prisoners appeals. 9. Improper screening process of potential C.O.'s

In December, the world will reach its deadline to hash out a global-climate treaty, some calling it our last chance to save the planet. But what good is a climate treaty if the nations that sign it lose their sovereignty to multi-national corporations? Trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP bestow corporations with outrageous new powers, including the right to directly challenge participating governments for enacting any measures that jeopardize their profits. These corporate grievances are heard by unelected, unaccountable trade tribunals—and as history has shown, the energy and mining giants will seize on them to try to gut all manner of environmental laws. The expansion of such agreements has gone hand in hand with the accelerating rise in greenhouse gas emissions. In short, this corporate free trade model that the TPP represents isn't only destabilizing our economies—it's also a key reason why our governments have failed to come to grips with the climate crisis. If President Obama and the U.S. Congress are going to be serious about climate change, they need to start by rejecting the TPP.

Republican Member of Congress Rep. Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation that would ban pregnant women from entering the United States. The law would require women entering the United States with B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant visas to bring a note from a doctor certifying that either they are not pregnant or not expected to give birth during their time in the country. This outrageous legislation is anti-women and anti-family. Please urge your Members of Congress and President Obama to oppose HR 2484.

I cannot support any agreement that is kept secret. The whole Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement should be made public. We have lost too many jobs overseas. Not everyone has a college degree and we need manufacturing jobs to fulfill that need. Plus, we can't even enforce laws to protect our environment, we definitely won't be able to control countries like China. I think what really amazes me is that while people complain about unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid we are ignoring the ways to eliminate the need for them. Birth control, education, and jobs. Our teachers, in Pagosa Springs, Colorado are being asked to take another cut in their salary. My husband was a teacher for 44 years, I was an Instructional Aide for children with special needs. I would not encourage anyone to go into teaching. People don't have any idea what teacher do, what they are responsible for and the hours they put in. We need to take care of our future generations.

My son will not have the chance to go to Pre-K for free because we are told that we make too much money. I am a social worker and his father is a satellite technician. We are not rich and just one pay check behind like most Americans. My son is 2 years old as of this past January and will not be able to start free public school until he is 5. We will be paying for a private school for almost 2 years before my son is able to start Kindergarten. That's an average of $10,000 per year. Why is it that my son is not able to go to public school? I feel like we are being punished for making the mere $40,000 a year that I make (his father and I are not married yet so this is based off of one income) Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

I have family members and friends who have combat related post-traumatic stress disorder. I have other friends whose family members died by suicide after experiencing combat.

Both of my children were in Lynda DiJulio and Sharon Lupinski's classroom in third grade at Brandywine Springs School and thrived in their team-taught classroom environment. After 28 years of continually strengthening and building their curriculum together, DiJulio and Lupinski have been told they cannot co-teach in the 2015-2016 school year. Taking away this classroom opportunity would strip BSS of one of its greatest assets.

It is important because people that do know about it are not taking action against children working in sweatshops. Our school group wants to raise awareness about these unfair working conditions. The children are working 18 hours a day, for little pay, that goes back to their families. They are working in poor conditions, being abused and receive little to no education.