Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly voted against H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation. The legislation was negotiated by the executive branch under fast track negotiating authority prior to the expiration of this authority on July 1st, 2007. If signed into law, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) Implementation would expand trade between Peru and the United States, which today stands at about $9 billion.
“I voted against the Peru free trade agreement because I don’t believe trade agreements negotiated by the president acting under the most recent version of fast track authority are in the best interests of the working men and women of our nation,” Donnelly said. “While I was pleased to see that the Peru free trade agreement included enforceable labor and environmental standards, we must do more than simply tweak the NAFTA model which has cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs. America needs a new trade model—a framework that gives Congress the ability to ensure that the American people share in the prosperity of any proposed trade agreement.”
Fast track negotiating authority was enacted in 1975 and expired in 1994. Under fast track, the president can negotiate trade agreements and present them to Congress for an up or down vote. Congress cannot amend or filibuster these trade agreements. In July of 2002, Congress narrowly approved reinstating fast track authority to the executive branch. The power granted the executive branch in 2002 to negotiate trade agreements expired on July 1st of 2007.
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