U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a former U.S. trade representative, refuses to review a draft of what would be the country’s largest trade agreement in history if approved.
That, he says, is because of the secrecy of the proposal.
“It was behind closed doors, and I refused to see it,” said Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area who served as former President George W. Bush’s U.S. trade representative from May 2005 to May 2006.
The secret document is a draft of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
The document is classified as are most trade proposals because leaders of countries in these deals don’t want details revealed before approval.
If approved by Congress, TPP would be the nation’s largest trade agreement and include 11 other countries. A vote on TPP is expected no earlier than December.
Though he hasn’t read the TPP proposal, Portman voted June 24 with the majority in a 60-38 vote to approve fast-track authority. Fast track is a key step in the trade process. It allows the president to give such deals to Congress for only yes-or-no votes without the power for the legislative body to amend them.
- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/aug/03/portman-refuses-to-review-draft-of-tpp-t/#sthash.AeHqbZc4.dpuf
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