Earlier this month, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced the 21st Century Trade and Market Access Act to reverse the horrible path we have gone down in promoting trade policy that benefits only multi-national corporations and the global 1%. First and foremost, it replaces what’s known as “Fast Track,” which limited Congress’s oversight of trade agreements. The new process will ensure that trade agreements aren’t passed without going through the committee process or the chance for our elected officials to have a say in shaping them. The bill also incorporates many of the elements of the TRADE Act, which many of you are familiar with, to create a “race to the top” for global labor, environmental, farm, and consumer standards. For a detailed description of the bill, please click here.

While it’s unlikely that Congress will pass any significant legislation this year, it’s very important that we get our Senators to sign onto the bill to send a strong message this fall to the administration and USTR, emphasizing that Congress, and the people they represent, do not support secretive trade deals, like the TPP, that are written and passed in the dark. Please call and email Sens. Franken and Klobuchar today, and ask them to co-sponsor the 21st Century Trade and Market Access Act. Here is their contact information:

Senator Al Franken – phone: 202-224-5641; send an email

Senator Amy Klobuchar – phone: 202-224-3244; send an email