We celebrate the Fourth of July not only for the birth of our country but for the democracy it represents. The checks and balances of our government, first hammered out in Philadelphia in 1787, are being challenged in a current trade bill scheduled to come before the House of Representatives this month. The founding fathers gave the power to negotiate trade policy to Congress.
The “fast track” bill now moving through Congress would hand power to determine trade policy to the President for eight years. Why Congress would give this away raises serious questions. Today trade policy affects every aspect of our lives – our food, our air, our water, our forests, our jobs and our taxes. We need our members of Congress in the loop in creating trade policy because that is the only way the public can stand up for its rights.
Trade policy needs to be negotiated in the light of day. Keeping Congress in the loop will safeguard our democracy. Fast track is undemocratic and Congress should vote against it.
Lynnwood
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