Ellison, Grijalva Statement on Close of APEC Summit

Press Release

Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement today after the close of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit where American negotiators continued pushing to finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

"Free trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership must be negotiated in the open with Congressional oversight and input from the working people most affected by the policies at stake. Secret negotiations are not the way to cut a deal that will cost American jobs and slash wages.

"The APEC summit ended today without a final deal agreed upon, which is yet another self-imposed deadline negotiators missed. The reason is simple: the Trans-Pacific Partnership is far from the "21st-century trade agreement' it's been called--it amounts to a corporate handout at the expense of workers in all negotiating nations. We urge American negotiators to fight for the best interest of working families--not the world's richest corporations.

"We stand with the hard working people fighting the Trans-Pacific Partnership and demand the public be told what's happening behind closed doors."

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