The Reform Party stands against the Transpacific Partnership. This trade treaty would open free trade with eleven Pacific Nations, including China. The Reform Party has several concerns about this treaty that it wishes to raise.
The first major issue the Reform Party has with this trade treaty, is that it is being negotiated in secret. This secrecy creates an nontransparent political environment that keeps facts away from the general public. It is the Reform Party’s belief that the general population has the right to know about treaties and legislation that are being negotiated by their representation in government.
The second issue the Reform Party is concerned with is that prior free trade deals have increased America’s trade deficit. When free trade began, with NAFTA in 1994, the trade deficit stood at 39.2 billion dollars and have increased to 559.8 billion by 2011. This is a total increase of 1,428 percent.
Before the beginning of the Central America Free Trade Agreement in 2005, the United States had a trade surplus with all nations involved with the treaty. As of the last year, the United States has trade deficits with the other CAFTA treaty signers including Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Since the United States’ largest deficits in trade are with Asian nations, the Reform Party fears that this treaty could increase trade deficits with Asian nations to point that destabilizes the American economy. This instability would have a negative effect on jobs, production and investment through all American economic sectors. Such an event would also be catastrophic for the American manufacturing sector.
Lastly, according to a joint Wall Street Journal-NBC opinion poll, American voters overwhelming oppose free trade deals. A previous poll showed that “the impact of trade and outsourcing is one of the only issues on which Americans of different classes, occupations and political persuasions agree” with 86% believing that outsourcing jobs was “a top cause of our economic woes,” and 69% indicating that “free trade agreements between the United States and other countries cost the U.S. jobs.” Only 17% of Americans in 2010 felt that “free trade agreement” benefit the U.S., compared to 28% in 2007″.
The Reform Party stands with the majority, and wishes to represent their opposition to free trade.
The Reform Party condemns the Obama administration for pushing the Transpacific Partnership, and calls on the Obama administration to end negotiations on this treaty. The Reform Party calls on Congressional Representatives, in both legislative chambers, to vote against the Transpacific Partnership if the treaty is brought before Congress.
Furthermore the Reform Party asks the citizens of the United States to take action against the Transpacific Partnership. We call on the voters to contact their representative in Congress, and the Obama administration, and to tell them to end negotiations on the Transpacific Partnership.
