DeLauro Leads 20 Senior Democrats in Calling on Administration to Use Certification Process to Ensure TPP Partners Comply with Pact’s Terms before It Goes into Effect

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today led 20 Members of Congress in calling on the Obama Administration to use a formal certification process to ensure that all prospective partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership are in compliance with the agreement before it goes into effect. Such procedures have been used in previous multi-country trade agreements, including the Central America Free Trade Agreement. Their letter to President Obama can be read in its entirety here.

In addition to DeLauro, the letter was signed by the Ranking Members of the Agriculture, Appropriations, Budget, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Ethics, Financial Services, Judiciary, Natural Resources, Rules, Small Business, and Transportation & Infrastructure committees of the U.S. House of Representatives. It was also signed by Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Co-Chair Donna Edwards, Policy and Communications Committee Chair Steve Israel, Progressive Caucus co-chair Keith Ellison, and Representatives Rick Nolan, Bill Pascrell, Mark Pocan and Jan Schakowsky.

“Congress passed trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) premised on Congress’ understanding that the executive branch would meet the negotiating objectives laid out in the law,” they wrote to President Obama. “Given that some of the TPP parties are new free trade agreement partners for the U.S., we believe it is imperative that all of the TPP nations understand that the U.S. implementing legislation for the TPP will include the standard requirement that formal written notification to the other TPP countries of U.S. completion of its legal requirements to implement the TPP be withheld until and unless our trade partners are in compliance with all of the TPP’s terms.

“Thus, even if Congress were to pass implementing legislation for the TPP, it would not go into effect unless and until the other nations conform their laws, policies and practices to the U.S. understanding of the TPP requirements.”

The representatives specifically mentioned currency manipulation, human rights, transparency and anti-corruption, labor, the environment, and telecommunications as areas where the Administration must certify partner nations meet America’s expectations of partner countries’ obligations under the TPP.


###