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Protesters have long decried the lack of transparency around TPP negotiations. (Photo: SumofUs/flickr/cc)
After Years of Backroom Secrecy, Public Will Finally Get to See Full TPP Text
Legislative clock starts ticking as Obama administration prepares to release text of pro-corporate trade deal
Oct 08, 2015
After years of secrecy, the full contents of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will soon be revealed.
According to Kevin Collier at Daily Dot, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the text will be made available to the public in approximately 30 days--on or around November 7.
"[We] look forward to having it released as soon as possible," Froman said in a press call Wednesday that was embargoed until Thursday morning. "We're shooting to do it within the 30 days following the completion of the negotiations."
Under the terms of the Fast Track legislation passed earlier this year, lawmakers cannot amend or filibuster the pro-corporate "trade" deal completed this week.
President Barack Obama must wait at least 90 days after formally notifying Congress of the deal before he can sign it and send it to Capitol Hill, and the full text of the agreement must be made public for at least 60 of those days. Congress gets to spend the first 30 days privately reviewing the documents and consulting with the administration.
As Kelsey Snell wrote for the Washington Post, that 60-day public comment window "will provide critical insight into how much popular support the deal may receive. A poor reception during the public phase could make it difficult for Obama to rally support when it comes time for Congress to vote."
Snell continued:
The next step will be for the U.S. International Trade Commission to conduct a full economic review of the deal. The agency has up to 105 days to complete that work but the process could take much less time.
Once the implementing bill is introduced in the House and the Senate, Congress has a maximum of 90 days to approve or disapprove the trade deal but can move much more quickly.
However, Public Citizen's Lori Wallach has pointed out (pdf) that 2016 election politics may imperil the deal. The intense national battle over trade authority was just a preview of the massive opposition the TPP will face, given that Democratic and Republican members of Congress and the public soon will be able to see the specific TPP terms that threaten their interests," she said (pdf) on Monday.
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Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
barack obamacapitol hillcorporate powerfast trackpublic citizentpptradeus congresswashington posttrans-pacific partnership
After years of secrecy, the full contents of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will soon be revealed.
According to Kevin Collier at Daily Dot, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the text will be made available to the public in approximately 30 days--on or around November 7.
"[We] look forward to having it released as soon as possible," Froman said in a press call Wednesday that was embargoed until Thursday morning. "We're shooting to do it within the 30 days following the completion of the negotiations."
Under the terms of the Fast Track legislation passed earlier this year, lawmakers cannot amend or filibuster the pro-corporate "trade" deal completed this week.
President Barack Obama must wait at least 90 days after formally notifying Congress of the deal before he can sign it and send it to Capitol Hill, and the full text of the agreement must be made public for at least 60 of those days. Congress gets to spend the first 30 days privately reviewing the documents and consulting with the administration.
As Kelsey Snell wrote for the Washington Post, that 60-day public comment window "will provide critical insight into how much popular support the deal may receive. A poor reception during the public phase could make it difficult for Obama to rally support when it comes time for Congress to vote."
Snell continued:
The next step will be for the U.S. International Trade Commission to conduct a full economic review of the deal. The agency has up to 105 days to complete that work but the process could take much less time.
Once the implementing bill is introduced in the House and the Senate, Congress has a maximum of 90 days to approve or disapprove the trade deal but can move much more quickly.
However, Public Citizen's Lori Wallach has pointed out (pdf) that 2016 election politics may imperil the deal. The intense national battle over trade authority was just a preview of the massive opposition the TPP will face, given that Democratic and Republican members of Congress and the public soon will be able to see the specific TPP terms that threaten their interests," she said (pdf) on Monday.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
After years of secrecy, the full contents of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will soon be revealed.
According to Kevin Collier at Daily Dot, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the text will be made available to the public in approximately 30 days--on or around November 7.
"[We] look forward to having it released as soon as possible," Froman said in a press call Wednesday that was embargoed until Thursday morning. "We're shooting to do it within the 30 days following the completion of the negotiations."
Under the terms of the Fast Track legislation passed earlier this year, lawmakers cannot amend or filibuster the pro-corporate "trade" deal completed this week.
President Barack Obama must wait at least 90 days after formally notifying Congress of the deal before he can sign it and send it to Capitol Hill, and the full text of the agreement must be made public for at least 60 of those days. Congress gets to spend the first 30 days privately reviewing the documents and consulting with the administration.
As Kelsey Snell wrote for the Washington Post, that 60-day public comment window "will provide critical insight into how much popular support the deal may receive. A poor reception during the public phase could make it difficult for Obama to rally support when it comes time for Congress to vote."
Snell continued:
The next step will be for the U.S. International Trade Commission to conduct a full economic review of the deal. The agency has up to 105 days to complete that work but the process could take much less time.
Once the implementing bill is introduced in the House and the Senate, Congress has a maximum of 90 days to approve or disapprove the trade deal but can move much more quickly.
However, Public Citizen's Lori Wallach has pointed out (pdf) that 2016 election politics may imperil the deal. The intense national battle over trade authority was just a preview of the massive opposition the TPP will face, given that Democratic and Republican members of Congress and the public soon will be able to see the specific TPP terms that threaten their interests," she said (pdf) on Monday.
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