Friends of the Earth Calls for House to Reject Trade Promotion Authority

At the urging of President Obama, Speaker John Boehner and Congressman Paul Ryan are asking the U.S. House of Representatives to approve "Fast Track" or trade promotion authority legislation today. If approved, Fast Track would expedite congressional approval of two massive trade deals without amendment or proper consideration. The historical record shows that it is almost impossible for Congress to reject any trade deal under Fast Track procedural rules.

The Trans Atlantic and Trans Pacific trade agreements, both of which are currently under negotiation by the Obama administration, would allow big oil companies and Wall Street financiers to sue for millions in compensation for the cost of complying with environmental and other regulations. More generally, the Atlantic and Pacific trade deals would trump sensible environmental safeguards, including those related to food safety, toxic chemicals and global warming.

We Interrupt This Article with an Urgent Message! Common Dreams is a not-for-profit news service. All of our content is free to you - no subscriptions; no ads. We are funded by donations from our readers. This media model only works if enough readers pitch in. We have millions of readers every month and, it seems, too many take our survival for granted. It isn't. Our critical Mid-Year fundraiser is off to a very slow start - only 406 readers have contributed a total of $15,070 so far. We must raise $34,930 more before we can end this fundraising campaign and get back to focusing on what we do best. If you support Common Dreams and you want us to survive, we need you. Please make a tax-deductible gift to our Mid-Year Fundraiser now!

Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, had this to say about today's expected action on the Ryan bill for trade promotion authority:

The upcoming House vote is the result of President Obama fully utilizing the bully pulpit of the presidency to get Fast Track to the finish line. Unfortunately, the president used the bully pulpit to spread misinformation as well as unbacked and false assurances to convince well meaning members of Congress and the American people that their interests and the environment are being protected. Trade deals that put so much at risk deserve a lot more than a 'trust us' -- they deserve to be debated out in the open. This will not happen if Fast Track is passed.

Click here for background on Friends of the Earth's call for the House to reject the Ryan Fast Track bill.