WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted against Trade Promotion Authority legislation, which would give the administration fast-track authority for six years to move trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, through Congress with limited debate and no amendments. The Senate passed the measure by a vote of 62-37.
"This legislation gives the administration the ability to speed up trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest free trade agreement ever negotiated, without adequate congressional oversight. Trade deals between nations have a direct impact on New Mexico families - affecting wages, and protections for labor, safety, environment and health for which workers have fought over decades. I voted no because I cannot support giving up my ability to represent New Mexicans' interests in wide-ranging trade deals that will change the playing field on everything from worker safety to privacy to the open Internet."
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a proposed free trade agreement that aims to increase trade and investment between the United States and 11 other Pacific nations. Negotiations have been done mostly behind closed doors, and have encompassed agreements on intellectual property rights, government procurement, investment, privacy, labor rights, and international environmental issues.
