Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement today after negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“Today’s announcement confirms what we’ve been saying for months: the Trans-Pacific Partnership is the wrong track for American workers and American businesses. We need a new approach to trade in this country.
“Manufacturing is the backbone of our nation’s economy. Our workers are the best in the world, but they need to compete on a level playing field. That means our trading partners must respect the rights of workers to organize, provide basic protections against unjust and unsafe conditions, and adhere to internationally recognized environmental standards.
“In addition, we must take a number of specific steps to reach a level playing field in the automotive market. Japan, which accounts for nearly half of the economic output of our TPP partners, has a historically closed auto market that unfairly disadvantages American automakers and the hardworking families we represent. For that reason, auto tariff phase outs in future trade agreements must be sufficient, and we must have strong rules of origin for automobiles and auto parts. Further, any agreement must include strong, enforceable protections against currency manipulation in the text of an agreement.
“We remain concerned the TPP would have failed to adequately achieve these standards. American workers deserve better, and today represents an opportunity to begin pursuing a new approach to trade that ends unfair practices by our trading partners and puts the United States on a level playing field for the 21st Century.”
