Congress is being asked to vote without reading #TPP #fasttrack Please re-tweet.
President Obama is finalizing the 12-nation, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. He wants a “fast track” bill to prevent Congress from amending the TPP before voting on it.
There are two problems…
- YOU aren't allowed to even know what's in the TPP!
- Congress is being actively discouraged from reading it
That's why I told Congress to pass the “Read the Bills Act” through DownsizeDC.org.
Please do the same. You may borrow from or copy this letter…
The TPP proves why we need Downsize DC’s Read the Bills Act. Multi-national corporations have been involved in the negotiations. They have better knowledge of TPP than either you (as a member of Congress) or I do.
To read the TPP, members of Congress must…
* Go to a secure room and surrender your cell phone
* Hand over any notes you make before leaving (http://politi.co/1zHqLhU)
You might even go to prison if you discuss TPP details with me! (http://bit.ly/1Jkr0kX)
And…
Only Congressional staffers with high security clearance can read it. As one Senator observed….
“There is more access in most cases to CIA and Defense Department and Iran sanctions documents — better access to congressional staff and others — than for this trade agreement.” (http://n.pr/1JkomM5)
I DO NOT CONSENT to this process.
I DEMAND to be represented!
That means…
Do NOT let Obama ram the TPP through Congress…
* Require that BOTH the fast-track bill AND the TPP itself be read, VERBATIM, before a quorum in the House and Senate.
* Give the public at least SEVEN days to read the TPP and send you feedback before the vote.
Know what’s in the TPP before you vote for it..
And…
Pass the Read the Bills Act!
–END OF LETTER–
Send your letter here.
You can also see the bills and number of pages Congress has passed so far this year, including a month-by-month breakdown. You can view that on our blog.
Keeping you abreast of Congressional actions — whether it's the number of pages passed into law or an action item about a vote that's upcoming — requires us to be tuned into multiple channels of information, to be careful to confirm facts before acting, and then to invest the time to write and edit in a useful fashion for you. And time is money.
Right now, we need your support. Please consider making a one-time contribution or monthly pledge.
And thank you for being a DC Downsizer,
James Wilson
Policy Research Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.