Hillary Clinton speaks at a small business forum in Norwalk, Iowa. (Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
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All eyes are on Hillary Clinton as Congress moves forward with “fast-track” trade authority to pave the way for a sweeping trade pact that oddly puts President Obama and Republicans on the same side against many Democrats and their labor union allies.
A day after House and Senate committee leaders reached a deal on the fast-track legislation, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill explained Friday where the leading Democratic presidential contender stands. His statement:
Hillary Clinton believes that any new trade measure has to pass two tests: First it should put us in a position to protect American workers, raise wages and create more good jobs at home. Second, it must also strengthen our national security. We should be willing to walk away from any outcome that falls short of these tests. The goal is greater prosperity and security for American families, not trade for trade’s sake.
She will be watching closely to see what is being done to crack down on currency manipulation, improve labor rights, protect the environment and health, promote transparency, and open new opportunities for our small businesses to export overseas. As she warned in her book, Hard Choices, we shouldn’t be giving special rights to corporations at the expense of workers and consumers.
Under fast-track authority, which the House and Senate must still vote on, the Obama administration could negotiate trade pacts that Congress could only approve or reject — with no changes.
Obama defended the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership he’s seeking with 11 Asia-Pacific nations and the fast-track measure, known as trade promotion authority, during a news conference Friday with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Potential Democratic presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have railed against the trade deal and stepped up their criticism. The Republican National Committee also highlighted instances in which Clinton has been “waffling” on trade and the Trans-Pacific Partnernship.
O’Malley earlier this month came out against what he calls “bad trade deals” and repeated that opposition Thursday night during a speech at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. He argued that “chasing cheaper labor abroad will not help us build a stronger economy here at home.” O’Malley echoed those sentiments Friday in an e-mail to supporters, saying “we certainly shouldn’t be fast tracking failed deals.”
Sanders, who is looking at running in the Democratic primary, agreed.
“My strong hope is that Secretary Clinton and all candidates, Republicans and Democrats, will make it clear that the Trans-Pacific Partnership should be rejected and we must develop trade policies that benefit working families, not just Wall Street and multi-national corporations,” Sanders said in a statement.
