The Obama administration released the text of a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade agreement on Thursday morning. The action will kick-off months of debate on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office released the massive 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal – 30 chapters and more than 2,000 pages – exactly one month since the deal was completed on Oct. 5 in Atlanta.
The text of the TPP deal will be under congressional and public scrutiny for at least 90 days before President Obama can sign the agreement between the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore.
During the negotiations, the Obama administration was regularly criticized for the secrecy surrounding the deal. Anti-trade groups and labor unions were among the critics.
The release of the text will probably be followed by an “intent to sign” message to Congress from President Obama, meaning there will be 90 days before he can sign the deal, a rule that is part of the trade promotion authority (TPA) or “fast-track” legislation that was signed into law this summer.
After that, the administration will send language to Capitol Hill starting the clock for the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees to begin the process of moving the TPP through their panels and to their respective floors for votes.
Under TPA rules, Congress cannot amend the TPP deal.
In an op-ed in The Hill Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said the TPA law does not “guarantee approval for TPP or any trade agreement.”
You can read the 2,000 page deal here: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/TPP-Full-Text
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office released the massive 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal – 30 chapters and more than 2,000 pages – exactly one month since the deal was completed on Oct. 5 in Atlanta.
The text of the TPP deal will be under congressional and public scrutiny for at least 90 days before President Obama can sign the agreement between the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore.
During the negotiations, the Obama administration was regularly criticized for the secrecy surrounding the deal. Anti-trade groups and labor unions were among the critics.
The release of the text will probably be followed by an “intent to sign” message to Congress from President Obama, meaning there will be 90 days before he can sign the deal, a rule that is part of the trade promotion authority (TPA) or “fast-track” legislation that was signed into law this summer.
After that, the administration will send language to Capitol Hill starting the clock for the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees to begin the process of moving the TPP through their panels and to their respective floors for votes.
Under TPA rules, Congress cannot amend the TPP deal.
In an op-ed in The Hill Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said the TPA law does not “guarantee approval for TPP or any trade agreement.”
You can read the 2,000 page deal here: https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/TPP-Full-Text