The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act will be reintroduced into the US Senate this week by Senator Sherrod Brown.
If the TRADE Act were passed, it would mandate a review and renegotiation of harmful existing trade pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization, and the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
In June 2008, 74 members of the US House of Representatives and 6 US Senators co-sponsored the TRADE Act. The Act was again introduced in June 2009 by 106 congressmen. With 435 members of the US House of Representatives, the bill then had support of 1/4 of the House.
As of January 15 of this year, President Barack Obama has not taken a public position on the TRADE Act.
The text of the TRADE Act can be read at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s2821is.txt.pdf.
For Public Citizen analysis on the TRADE Act – including a 3-minute video briefing by Lori Wallach, who spoke at our 2004 AGM in Winnipeg – go to http://www.citizen.org/trade/tradeact/.
The Council of Canadians supports the review and renegotiation (though preferably the abrogation) of NAFTA and other harmful trade agreements.
