Despite the White House’s efforts to keep a proposed free trade
agreement concealed from the public — and even Congress — an excerpt
from the TPP leaked Wednesday reveals that President Obama is prepared
to bow to multinational corporations.
The United States has been engaged in discussion with eight Pacific
nations to come to agreement on the terms of the proposed Trans-Pacific
Partnership, a free trade contract that would allow for a more open
system of exchange between the US and less developed nations. Critics
have been concerned, however, over how provisions of the project could
drive up the price of medications and other goods across the world. The
White House’s reluctance to provide details to even leading lawmakers
responsible for America’s trade plans has caused a rift within the
president’s own political party as his administration remains adamant
about protecting the items being heard. A section of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership was leaked to
the Web early Wednesday, and its contents suggest that US President
Barack Obama was perhaps not so genuine with promises made while
campaigning in 2008 and even offers some insight into why his
administration has been eerily secretive about the TPP. Details
about negotiations determined during meetings between White House
officials and leaders from the eight Pacific nations involved in the TPP
have been so hidden from the public that even some members of the US
Congress have called on the president to come forth with information. In
a leak published this week by the advocacy website Public Citizen,
though, it’s made clear that the Obama administration has every
intention of backpedaling on previous promises that could largely impact
regulations that will directly affect the safety and financial security
of millions of Americans and international citizens.According to
the leaked excerpt, the Obama administration has been considering TPP
provisions that would allow foreign corporations operating within the
United States to appeal regulations on the environment and banking that
would be forced on American-owned businesses with no chance of reprieve.
While the United States could be sanctioned for failing to impose
regulations on American-run businesses, multinational corporations are
practically encouraged to do as much because the TPP outlines a clear
avenue to file an appeal. If one of the eight Pacific nations chooses to
do as much, their plea would be heard by an international tribunal that
could overrule US law.Such key components of the leaked TPP
document conflict directly with campaign promises harped by
then-candidate President Obama while vying for the White House.
Huffington Post reports that during the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama was
clear in emphasizing, "We will not negotiate bilateral trade
agreements that stop the government from protecting the environment,
food safety or the health of its citizens; give greater rights to
foreign investors than to US investors; require the privatization of our
vital public services; or prevent developing country governments from
adopting humanitarian licensing policies to improve access to
life-saving medications.”On the contrary, President Obama is
reportedly not so concerned today. Condemning the president over how
the TPP could alter intellectual property standards are many critics who
fear that the agreement would lead to the monopolization of life-saving
drugs and thus propel the prices to an unaffordable amount."Bush was better than Obama on this," Judit Rius of Doctors Without Borders Access to Medicines Campaign tells HuffPo. "It's pathetic, but it is what it is. The world's upside-down."

Last month, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)
introduced legislation that specifically targets the Obama
administration by demanding that the White House open up on details
about the proposed TPP. Despite serving as chair of the United States
Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global
Competitiveness, Sen. Wyden has been largely left uninformed about the
details of the TPP all while the White House has opened up to the
multinational corporations expected to profit through the proposal.“The
majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of
the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations – like
Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast, and the Motion Picture Association
of America – are being consulted and made privy to details of the
agreement,” said Wyden. The senator’s legislation would require the United States Trade Representative office “to provide documents related to trade negotiations to members of Congress and their staff upon request.”


http://rt.com/usa/news/tpp-obama-corporations-trade-725/