US Lawmaker Wants Openness on Pacific Trade Pact.
Source: nyt/ap
An influential Democratic senator says the Obama administration needs to be more open with Congress to win support for a trans-Pacific trade pact under negotiation with 11 countries.
Sen. Ben Cardin told a congressional hearing Wednesday there's been inadequate dialogue with lawmakers, and he expressed frustration the administration has not obtained congressional authority to negotiate the deal.
The administration views the Trans-Pacific Partnership as key to boosting American exports in Asia's fast-growing markets and demonstrating U.S. economic leadership. The 12 nations, including Japan, failed to complete the deal by year's end as hoped but will restart negotiations in early January.
Senior U.S. commerce official John Andersen said the administration hopes to finalize the agreement early next year.
He said fast-track authority from Congress would then be critical for implementation.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/12/18/us/politics/ap-us-united-states-asia-trade.html?hp&_r=0
Pleased to see this from my Senator.
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