The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee gave a less-than-ringing endorsement of the progress in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, saying that there were “many outstanding, unresolved issues” regarding the 12-nation trade pact after meeting with top negotiators in Sydney.
Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., has been heavily involved in the TPP talks. His backing is likely crucial to securing enough Democratic support for congressional approval.
He indicated Monday that few of the concerns that Democrats have raised regarding the international trade deal have been addressed and that there needs to a be a focus “on the what, not the when” before the proposal arrives in Congress.
“[T]he devil will be in the details of the text, in the annexes and the ‘non-conforming measures,’ and in the implementation of the obligations. That is true in critical areas, including the environment, state-owned enterprises, labor rights and a broad range of market access issues,” Levin said.
The deal would lower taxes on imported goods and other barriers to trade with 12 Pacific Rim countries — the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Mexico, Chile, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Peru. It also would offer legal protections for people investing in those countries, creating common standards for trade rules.
President Obama has pushed hard for its passage, saying he wants the deal done before the end of the year. But congressional Democrats, who are traditionally more skeptical of the benefits of trade deals, have been expressing serious concerns about TPP.
In particular they have complained about the deal being negotiated behind closed doors, something Levin alluded to in his statement: “[I]t is vital to have an open door for a broad understanding and involvement on how they should be resolved, with increased transparency. We need more public input and debate.”
