WASHINGTON, DC–(ENEWSPF)—April 24, 2015. Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Dan Lipinski released the following statement after sending a letter to President Obama outlining several significant concerns about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The United States and the European Union (EU) are currently negotiating TTIP.
In their letter, Schakowsky and Lipinski, along with 29 other Representatives, outline several major concerns regarding reports on the ongoing TTIP negotiations and urge the President to take steps to correct the following problems:
1. The Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system in TTIP could allow private foreign corporations to challenge U.S. laws or policies before international tribunals;
2. TTIP could jeopardize Buy American laws and further erode the ability of local, state and federal governments to make decisions on how U.S. tax dollars are spent in public procurement;
3. TTIP could weaken existing U.S. and EU consumer, labor, health, environmental and other public interest protections;
4. The negotiations are not public and need to have a high standard of transparency and inclusiveness.
“The recent push for Trade Promotion Authority – ‘Fast Track’ – underscores just how important it is for Congress to have a meaningful role in shaping fair trade agreements currently being negotiated, including TTIP and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).” Schakowsky said. “Fast tracking trade proposals would eliminate the ability for Congress to meaningfully change agreements to make sure they benefit our constituents, businesses and communities. These trade agreements will affect virtually every part of our economy, from jobs and wages to the quality of the air we breathe to the price of prescription drugs. I urge President Obama and his Administration to negotiate fair trade agreements that ensure American workers and consumers are better off, not worse.”
“It is the responsibility of Congress to ensure that trade agreements create American jobs, raise our wages, and safeguard the consumer and environmental protections on which Americans rely,” Lipinski said. “We cannot afford another bad trade agreement that only benefits large corporations while destroying American jobs. Congress must have a robust role in trade negotiations from start to finish.”
A copy of the letter is available here: (link)
Source: schakowsky.house.gov
