Wyden votes yes on trade bill, Merkley no: What they say

Oregon’s two Democrat senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, were split as the Senate voted late Friday to approve the Trade Promotion Authority, so-called “fast track” legislation co-authored by Wyden..

The senate voted to pass the measure 62 to 37, with the support of 14 Democrats and most Republicans. It now goes to the House, where a tough fight is expected.

Wyden, the main Democratic author of fast track, claimed the legislation would set a higher standard for trade deals. But Merkley panned it for failing to include adequate wage safeguards.

Here’s the full text of Wyden’s statement, issued Saturday:

Wyden: Senate Votes to Pass Progressive Trade Policy, Boost Oregon Jobs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate strongly endorsed a modern, progressive trade policy, in a vote today passing Trade Promotion Authority legislation co-authored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., by a 62-37 vote.

Wyden said the vote for the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, which was strongly supported by President Obama, was an endorsement of a new, progressive trade policy.

“Today the U.S. Senate closed the door on the 1990s and NAFTA-style trade deals. Congress sent the message that trade done right will open new markets to red-white-and-blue-products while raising the bar on the environment, labor and human rights values Oregonians hold dear at the same time,” Wyden said. “This legislation tells the administration to seek out the strongest possible deals that will create new Oregon jobs, protect the open Internet, and contribute to a growing middle class around the world that is anxious to buy the wine, wheat, electronics, berries, bikes and everything else that Oregonians grow and produce.”

The legislation directs the administration on the goals it should seek in trade agreements. In exchange, Congress agrees to vote on trade deals in a timely manner.

Wyden worked for more than a year to co-author the most progressive trade promotion bill ever. Wyden insisted on new rules, including:

-This bill ensures that the days of secret trade deals becoming law are finally over. Any new trade agreement, INCLUDING the Trans-Pacific Partnership, must be public for months before Congress votes on it, and at least 60 days before the president signs it.

It puts U.S. laws first, by stating plainly that no trade agreement can overturn or undo U.S. laws.

-It raises the bar on American values, including the environment, labor and human rights. Trading partners must adopt and maintain core international labor standards, with trade sanctions if they do not comply. They must adopt and maintain common multilateral environmental agreements, with trade sanctions if they do not comply. And the bill establishes directives for trade agreements to foster innovation and promote access to medicines

-It promotes an open Internet, by pushing for the free flow of information around the world, and fighting against countries that would put walls around the Internet to restrict free speech and digital commerce.

-It supports the American workforce, by renewing and expanding Trade Adjustment Assistance. The bill includes funding to ensure support for every U.S. worker affected by trade, and expands eligibility to U.S. service sector workers and those impacted by countries with which the U.S. does not have a trade agreement, including India and China.

-It renews the Health Coverage Tax Credit, so workers who lose their jobs won’t have to lose their health insurance.

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Here’s Merkley’s statement, issued late Friday:

“Trade agreements should make things better for working Americans—creating jobs and raising living standards. Our previous free trade deals have done the opposite. Unfortunately, despite the hard work of Senator Wyden and others, this fast track bill does too little to ensure that TPP and other trade deals will do any better.

“With this rushed vote, we have not addressed fundamental issues critical to making trade work for working Americans.

“There’s nothing that will make sure trade deals raise wages, there’s nothing to make sure the trade deals raise labor standards so our workers aren’t competing with people earning 60 or 70 cents a dollar overseas.

“It still allows foreign corporations to challenge our public health, environmental, and consumer protection laws in tribunals outside of our courts.

“It does not prevent foreign countries from undermining trade agreements and undercutting American businesses and workers by manipulating the value of their currencies.

“While many have suggested that the TPP will be a better deal than previous agreements, this fast track bill does not require it to be better.

“And based on what I have seen, TPP looks an awful lot like the past trade deals that have resulted in a massive movement of American manufacturing jobs overseas and 50,000 factories and 5 million jobs lost since 1998.

“President Kennedy said, ‘The trade of a nation expresses in a very concrete way its aims and its aspirations.’ Our aims and aspirations should be rooted in a vibrant and growing middle class, in opportunity for parents to provide a better life for their children and for children to grow up more prosperous than their parents.

“We all agree that our economy has been failing our working families. The solution to that problem is not doing more of the economic policies that put us where we are today . We must aim higher.”