Rep. Chu Votes Against Bad Trade Package
Washington, D.C. – On Friday, June 12, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted against proposals for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). Rep. Chu released the following statement:
“Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is an important means of support for American workers who are negatively affected by trade, providing them with job training and employment services to help them stay on their feet. But on Friday, a vote for TAA would have been a vote for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), as the bills were tied together. TPA, also known as Fast Track, opens the door to trade deals that threaten thousands of American jobs.
“Free trade agreements can be an opportunity to improve economic conditions at home and strengthen labor protections abroad. However, the bill we were being asked to consider puts American jobs at risk and creates a race to the bottom. It does this because it lacks strong, enforceable provisions requiring partnering countries to improve their labor laws. This will force American workers to compete with low wages and low standards from countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, or lose their jobs entirely. We saw this after NAFTA, which cost the U.S. nearly 700,000 jobs by 2010. In fact, 86,500 of these jobs came from California. With this emerging trade deal that encompasses 40% of the world’s GDP, the damage to American jobs could be much worse.
“Additionally, the TPA does nothing to address currency manipulation, which is artificially driving up the price of American exports and costing us jobs. Japan, a TPP member, engages in currency manipulation that has cost the U.S. 896,600 jobs alone. We cannot let this continue to happen, and that’s why I voted against this trade package.
“Many of these concerns could be addressed through amendments or open debate, but none of that would be allowed under TPA. I cannot support a bill that will prevent any opportunity to improve these agreements so that the American worker and consumers benefit.”
The Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act extends TAA for six years and authorizes $450 million for workers negatively impacted by trade deals. TPA grants the President the power to present a trade deal to Congress for a straight up or down vote without amendments or a filibuster. Because of a procedural rule passed in the House on Thursday, each bill in the trade package was voted on individually, however all three bills must pass in order for the package to move forward. TAA failed by a vote of 126-302.