President Barack Obama’s pick to head the nation’s trade office is off to a good start, despite a growing movement of Americans calling for more transparency in U.S. trade negotiations, particularly the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Michael Froman flew past his Senate confirmation this week with overwhelming support. In a 93-4 vote, senators approved Froman for the job, one that will kick into high gear in the coming weeks as the U.S. negotiates the U.S.-European Union and Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreements.
The confidence instilled in Froman wasn’t shared by all senators, with Vermont’s independent Bernie Sanders joining forces with Democrats Carl Levin of Michigan, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to oppose his confirmation.
Addressing the Senate floor, Warren questioned the lack of transparency in trade agreements, citing it as her main point of opposition to Froman’s confirmation.
“I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the trade representative’s policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant,” Warren said. “In other words, if people knew what was going on, they would stop it. This argument is exactly backwards. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States.”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership aims to expand trade relations among 11 Pacific-bordering countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the U.S.
Supporters of the trade agreement say it will provide opportunities for the profitable export of U.S. goods, yet the details of the trade agreement have been kept from the American public, Congress included.
The lack of transparency has led to opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Citizens Trade is one organization calling on negotiators to release the text of negotiations. Specifically, the organization is seeking answers to its key concerns: labor rights, access to medicine and agricultural rights.
“Will the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement allow countries to ensure that farmers and farm workers are fairly compensated, while also preventing the agricultural dumping that has forced so many family farmers off their land?” Citizens Trade asks on its website.
Others are concerned that the trade agreement would lead to more jobs being sent overseas, as was seen following the North American Free Trade Agreement. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5 million Americans lost their manufacturing jobs after the trade agreement passed, according to a press release issued by House Democrats seeking transparency in the negotiations
While Congress could exercise its authority to access the trade agreement, it would give up this power if it agrees to the Obama administration’s call for “fast track” authority, which takes Congress out of the negotiating process. This authority was first implemented under the Richard Nixon administration, and was most recently used during the George W. Bush era.
On June 11, a coalition of House Democrats led by Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan came together to demand more transparency in trade negotiations, calling on fellow members of Congress to reject the fast track approach.
“Congress needs to work together to get American trade policy back on track — not give away its authority to do so,” House members wrote in a letter. “Reducing our authority to ensure our trade agreements serve the public interest will undermine our efforts to create American jobs and to reform a misguided trade policy that has devastated our manufacturing base through the offshoring of American production and American jobs.”
The most recent Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations — the 17th round — took place May 15-24 in Lima, Peru.