WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today released the following statement on President Trump’s executive order to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and announcement of his intentions to begin renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):
“TPP is an unfair trade deal that would further stack the deck against American workers. Instead of creating an even playing field, TPP accelerates the global race to the bottom in worker pay. By eroding Buy America rules, the agreement would have allowed the use of taxpayer dollars to hire foreign companies. TPP also gives foreign companies the ability to challenge American laws in secret international courts, encouraging companies to move production abroad.
“I have long opposed NAFTA, an unfair trade deal that has hurt Wisconsin’s manufacturing economy and led to job loss. For years, families and workers across Wisconsin have shared with me their stories of how this unfair trade deal has weakened their economic security.
“Withdrawing from TPP and moving to renegotiate NAFTA are good first steps from President Trump, but to keep his word to Wisconsin workers, it will take supporting Buy America reforms, cracking down on countries like China when they cheat our workers, and backing policies that keep jobs here at home instead of encouraging outsourcing.”
Senator Baldwin introduced legislation to hold President Trump accountable to his campaign pledge to withdraw from TPP. The TPP withdrawal legislation would also prevent TPP from being considered in Congress under trade promotion authority (TPA), which allows a “fast-track” to approval for the trade agreement.