Global Peoples’ Movements Stop the TPP

Thanks to year of hard work by countless activists around the globe, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is extremely unlikely to move forward during this session of Congress.

While we’ll remain vigilant to ensure there are no last-second surprises before the end of the year, it appears that the White House has seen the writing on the wall and has given up on trying to finalize the TPP.

Negotiated behind closed doors with the aid of hundreds of corporate lobbyists, the TPP epitomized the type of back-room dealmaking that preferences corporate elites over working families — the very thing that Americans and so many others have been revolting against in recent years.

The proposal’s failure is good news for anyone concerned with good-paying jobs, a healthy environment and human rights.  While overshadowed by the recent election outcomes, this is poised become one of the biggest victories against concentrated corporate power in our lifetimes.

Even if we’re able to ensure that President Trump keeps his campaign promises and doesn’t dust off the TPP in years to come, the “movement of movements” that defeated the TPP has serious work ahead of it during the next administration.

Despite promises to oppose the TPP on the campaign trail, the President-elect is also someone who has said that American workers are overpaid, that climate change is a hoax and who has offshored the production of goods made in his name to authoritarian regimes overseas.  Already, four of the five House members appointed to his transition team are people who voted to “fast track” the TPP.

Please take action now urging your Members of Congress to publicly oppose the TPP’s revival, and to commit to opposing any future TPP-like trade agreements.

Please also help spread the word that it was global peoples’ movements, not any particular politician, who stopped the TPP from being enacted.

Looking ahead, one of the most important lessons from the TPP fight is that, even when a President of the United States, Congressional leaders and corporate lobbyists are united against us, progressives can defeat their backwards agenda by uniting together across issue areas and across borders.

Citizens Trade Campaign is deeply appreciative of the thousands of organizations and millions of individuals in the United States and beyond who worked to defeat the TPP.  We will continue working together for policies that put people and the planet ahead of corporate profits.