Congress should reject President Obama’s request for fast-track authority on the secretly negotiated pact, say Greens

The Green Party today called for an immediate halt in the Obama Administration’s closed-door negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), following the publication by Wikileaks of the TPP’s intellectual property chapter on Nov. 13.

Greens also demanded that Congress reject President Obama’s request for fast-track authority to implement the TPP, a proposed commercial pact between the U.S. and 11 Asian and Latin American countries.

The leaked intellectual-property documents reveal that President Obama is seeking terms in the pact that would impose limits on Internet freedom and allow increases in the price of life-saving medicines in the U.S. and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. 28 more TPP documents remain unavailable to the public.

“The texts published by Wikileaks confirm our fears that the President has sided with multinational corporations over the needs of Americans and people in other nations. President Obama has kept the negotiations a secret, while allowing 600 corporate representatives to assist the U.S. Trade Representative in the TPP drafting process,” said Dr. Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the Green Party’s International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl) and Green candidate for New York City Comptroller in 2013.

The Obama Administration has also pressed for language in the TPP that would allow tobacco companies to sue governments in demand for taxpayer-funded compensation for public-health regulations.

“The publication of these documents proves that Wikileaks has been essential for democratic accountability, in the face of official secrecy and betrayal of the public trust. We hope that these leaked documents scuttle the reckless and harmful demands posed by the Obama Administration and prevent further bullying of smaller nations on behalf of Big Pharma and Big Tobacco,” added Carl Romanelli, Pennsylvania Green and member of the International Committee.

The Green Party of the United States strongly opposes the TPP and other “free trade” agreements that establish rules and international bureaucracies that privilege corporate interests, send jobs across the border, and impose privatization and other damaging “structural adjustment” schemes.

“Greens believe in fair trade. International trade agreements must uphold labor rights, environmental protections, public health, and democratic sovereignty, with full transparency and openness to public scrutiny,” said Cheri Honkala, 2012 Green nominee for Vice President and co-founder of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (http://greenshadowcabinet.us/member-profile/8581).

Throughout the 2012 election year, Green presidential nominee Jill Stein frequently discussed the dangers posed by the TPP to the rights and welfare of working people, public health, and the environment. President Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney refused to mention the TPP during the race, confirming that they agreed on the pact and the secrecy of negotiations.

See also:

“Breaking News: WikiLeaks publishes Secret TPP Text; Complete IP Chapter Revealed”

Public Citizen, November 13, 2013

http://www.citizen.org/Wikileaks-publishes-TPP-IP-Chapter

“Breaking: Wikileaks Releases Full Text Of TPP Intellectual Property Chapter; Leaked Documents Reveal Obama Administration Push for Internet Freedom Limits, Terms That Raise Drug Prices in Closed-Door Trade Talks”

Flush the TPP!, November 13, 2013

http://www.flushthetpp.org/breaking-wikileaks-releases-full-text-of-tpp-intellectual-property-chapter

Full text of the secret TPP’s intellectual property chapter (PDF)

http://wikileaks.org/tpp/static/pdf/Wikileaks-secret-TPP-treaty-IP-chapter.pdf

Green Party of the United States (press releases):

“Green Party: Approaching climate change ‘point of no return’ requires defeat of tar sands pipeline and the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” October 1, 2013

http://www.gp.org/index.php/green-party-press-releases/details/4/644.html

“US Green Party signs international Green statement against ‘secret’ Trans-Pacific Partnership pact,” October 1, 2012

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=553

“TPP report raises serious questions about inequality and trade policy”

Richard McIntyre, U.S. Trade Representative in the Green Shadow Cabinet, September 26, 2013

http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/comment-tpp-report-raises-serious-questions-about-inequality-and-trade-policy

“Independence Day Resolution: Revolt against the TPP and global corporate rule”

Green Shadow Cabinet, July 4, 2013

http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/independence-day-resolution-revolt-against-tpp-and-global-corporate-rule

“Control over food is at stake with the TPP”

By Mark Dunlea, Jim Goodman, and Brian Tokar in the Ecology Branch of the Green Shadow Cabinet, June 19, 2013

http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/control-over-food-stake-tpp

“Wikileaks Leaks Key TPP Documents: US Isolated In Corporate Advocacy”

Popular Resistance, November 13, 2013

http://www.popularresistance.org/wikileaks-leaks-key-tpp-documents-us-isolated-in-corporate-advocacy/