Washington (April 17, 2015) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) criticized new federal “fast-track” legislation that would allow the Obama administration to obtain expedited congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

“We should not hand over authority and rush approval of trade agreements that would be a historically bad deals for our nation’s middle class, our workers and our environment. These agreements will not create American jobs but instead will force our workers to compete with nations that pay their workers dimes per hour. These agreements will not protect our federal environmental, labor, financial, and Internet regulations but will empower corporations from foreign nations that have operations in the United States to attack our rules and our sovereignty. We need to make these trade deals work for the middle class, not big corporations. It is critically important that both trade deals protect workers’ rights, safeguard our environment, and don’t go around the U.S. courts. I will not support any legislation that hastens approval of agreements that outsource justice or jobs overseas.”

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