Fast Track Trade Opponents Disrupt Senate Committee Hearing

Opponents of fast track trade legislation temporarily disrupted a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday morning. Congressional police warned them they would be ejected from the meeting if they persisted. More than half a dozen officers were at the meeting in anticipation of a disruption.

Mackenzie McDonald-Wilkins, who held up a sign in the hearing expressed concern the voices of people affected would not be factored into fast-track legislation. “We’re here to make sure that as this bill is introduced and they do the mark up and possibly the vote on the bill, that we have a presence and that our voices are heard,” he said.

The Senate Finance Committee adjourned its hearing before voting on Fast Track legislation, after Senator Bernie Sanders invoked a rule to delay the Finance Committee from marking and voting on the Bill.

The Committee is considering the Hatch-Wyden Bill, formally known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which would give the President powers to expedite trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP). The bill would disallow Congress from adding amendments to or filibustering future trade deals. Trade agreements such as the TPP and TTIP would give multi-national corporations special judiciary powers to adjudicate disputes involving trade.

Senator’s Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced the bill last Thursday. Before becoming law, the bill must be approved by both chambers of Congress. Multinational corporations are pressuring Congress to approve the bill.

Opponents say the trade deals risk unraveling a wide spectrum of existing legislation, including protection of workers rights, Internet protections (Net Neutrality), environmental protections, food production, and healthcare laws.

“Fast track is a sign of the corruption at Congress, especially this committee which receives over $100 million every election in big business interests,” said Kevin Zeese of Popular Resistance.

Zeese expressed concerns the sweeping agreement would have on everyday transactions. “This will affect every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat, whether water is public or private, access to healthcare, cost of health care, banking regulations, the way the internet operates, truly every aspect of our lives is affected by this,” he said.

Last week over 110 farm, food and consumer groups sent a letter to Congress opposing Fast Track because it would enable trade agreements to hurt farmers and food distribution.

“The TPP has pieces of every bad Internet policy we’ve fought against,” wrote Fight For The Future, an advocacy group committed to an open Internet, on its website. “And if it passes now, we’ll be kicking ourselves for decades, fighting uphill battle after uphill battle on copyright reform, and whistleblower protections.”

Opponents are urging Congress to reject Fast Track because major components of the TPP and TTIP are being negotiated in secret. The text of the TPP and TTIP have not been released by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.

At a town hall meeting in Washington, DC on Wednesday night, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke about the lack of transparency with TPP trade negotiations. “The TPP is a long complicated document [and] the American people do have a right to know what is in that document,” he said. Senator Sanders also said trade agreements have hurt the middle class. “When we talk about why the middle class is in decline, one of the important factors is our disastrous trade policies.”

Opponents of TPA Fast Track are encouraging the public to get involved and have provided some ideas to help:

1. Call and email your representatives to demand that they vote against Fast Track trade legislation.

2. Visit StopFastTrack.com to access a call in link to reach your Congressman and Representative.

3. Visit your representative’s office and deliver your message of opposition in person.

4. Organize actions in your community to educate on these trade agreements. Publicize these actions.

5. Join the National Fast Track Resistance Weekly Calls at FlushtheTPP.org.

6. Join the Rapid Response Team to take action in Washington D.C. By contacting MacKenzie at email: Mackenzie@PopularResistance.org

7. Share this information widely!