“This is the single most important thing happening in congress right now,” University of Oregon professor from the Labor Education and Research Center Gordon Lafer said about the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP was the main topic of a forum led by Congressman Peter DeFazio on Jan. 22 in the Fir Room of the Erb Memorial Union.
In addition to DeFazio and Lafer, a Sierra Club Volunteer Debra Higbee-Sudyka and president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization Tom Chamberlain sat on the panel.
The TPP is a proposed trade agreement between the US, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. No one at the panel had positive things to say about the TPP. “The TPP is a lose-lose,” Chamberlain said. “There’s some really evil stuff in there,” said DeFazio.
The TPP is written in a way that leaves it open-ended, allowing other countries like China to join in later on. Because of this DeFazio said, “this could be the last trade agreement.”
According to DeFazio, “the biggest winners are the pharmaceuticals and wall street.” Higbee-Sudyka said the TPP was “less about trade and more about deregulation.” According to the panel, the agreement would enable foreign investors to sue governments via secret tribunals. Higbee-Sudyka called them “corporation super rights,” and said that this gives foreign investors and corporations “more power than the government.”
On Jan. 9 the Fast Track Authority was brought to Congress. DeFazio called the FTA “the vehicle to get the bad trade agreement.” If passed, the FTA will prevent Congress from adding any amendments to the TPP, limit debate to 20 hours, reduce the voting to an up-down voting system and requires Congress to make their decision within 90 days. “It’s congress giving up all its constitutional rights,” said DeFazio.
Though excerpts from the TPP have leaked to WikiLeaks, it still remains shrouded in mystery. In order for DeFazio to read the document, it would have to be brought to his office with guards. DeFazio would not be allowed to take notes, have any of his staff with him or discuss anything he read afterward because the TPP is considered a “classified document.” DeFazio has not consented to read it because, “it subjects me to a massive personal risk.”
DeFazio, among a group, was granted an audience with President Obama. In regards to the answers DeFazio received from Obama he said, “I don’t think the president has a strong understanding (about the TPP).”
The democrats are not the only political party opposing the TPP. DeFazio said Tea Party opposes it as well, due to either the constitution, sovereignty or just because they want to oppose President Obama.
When asked why students at the UO should care about the TPP, DeFazio said “It matters if you care about humans, the environment and future jobs.” According to DeFazio, if the TPP goes through it will create a “downward pressure on wages,” and “create a huge rush off shore.”
“We’ve got to expose what’s at risk here,” said DeFazio.