To: Bill Foster, 11th Congressional District of Il, Mike Quiqley, 5th Congressional District of Il, Tammy Duckworth, 8th Congressional District of Il, and Brad Schneider, 10th Congressional District of Il
Stop "fast track" and you stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership
We demand that the Illinois Democratic representatives who have not signed Reps. Rosa DeLauro and George Miller's letter join their Illinois colleagues and 150 other Democratic representatives in telling the president that they will not vote to "fast-track" this trade agreement.
Why is this important?
Since 2010 the U.S. along with eleven other Pacific Rim countries have been negotiating in secret a trade agreement with lobbyists representing over five hundred multi-national corporations. This trade agreement will fundamentally compromise our country’s ability to protect consumer rights, worker’s rights, the environment and the power of local communities to implement laws and regulations that are in their best interest. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is nothing more than a blatant attempt to allow multi-national corporations to deregulate themselves in manner which would not be possible using normal legislative processes.
Simply put, the U.S. is bargaining away its very sovereignty.
To ensure passage of the trade agreement the Obama Administration wants to use the “Fast Track” legislative procedure which requires an up-or-down vote in the Senate with no amendments and with only twenty hours of debate allowed; this, on a trade agreement which will consist of tens of thousands of pages. And Congress is being told to vote to “Fast Track” the trade agreement before they even know what is in it. This lack of transparency and the undermining of our democracy is an outrage and must not stand. Over 150 Democratic Representatives, including eight from Illinois, have signed the Delauro letter to the President stating that they will not support using “Fast Track” on this trade agreement.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is too important to be rushed through the Senate. Fast tract has to be prevented to allow the American public to see what this trade agreement is really all about.
Simply put, the U.S. is bargaining away its very sovereignty.
To ensure passage of the trade agreement the Obama Administration wants to use the “Fast Track” legislative procedure which requires an up-or-down vote in the Senate with no amendments and with only twenty hours of debate allowed; this, on a trade agreement which will consist of tens of thousands of pages. And Congress is being told to vote to “Fast Track” the trade agreement before they even know what is in it. This lack of transparency and the undermining of our democracy is an outrage and must not stand. Over 150 Democratic Representatives, including eight from Illinois, have signed the Delauro letter to the President stating that they will not support using “Fast Track” on this trade agreement.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is too important to be rushed through the Senate. Fast tract has to be prevented to allow the American public to see what this trade agreement is really all about.