Today CtW leaders and progressive lawmakers from Capitol Hill came together to announce the introduction of the Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act -- an important piece of legislation developed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Mike Michaud (D-ME) to create a new, more equitable model for international trade and globalization.
The TRADE Act would fix many of the flaws of the current trade regime. It would provide a detailed list of what types of provisions will be required for approval of new trade deals, and what types of provisions must be omitted. It would improve the nation's ability to understand the effects of trade pacts already in force by requiring the Comptroller General to conduct a detailed review of each, collecting data on their economic, environmental and social impact. And it would require the renegotiation of any existing trade deals if they are found by these reviews to fall short of the standards for equitable trade enumerated in the act.
In short, the TRADE Act would help the nation find and fix problems in existing trade deals, and ensure that those problems are not perpetuated in deals made in the future. By creating clear standards for trade, it would make it possible to have trade system that is truly fair to all participants.
Want to help this important bill become law? I'll be writing shortly with details of how you can make it happen.
