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MoveOn Knocks Obama’s Nike Visit to Promote Fast-Track of Secret Trade Deal

Justin Krebs, campaign director for MoveOn.org Civic Action, responded to President Obama’s visit to Nike headquarters in Oregon today to promote Fast-Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a secret trade deal that puts corporate interests over the interests of American workers.

“Today, President Obama promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a massive corporate trade deal that would hurt American workers even further, by paying a visit to the Oregon headquarters of Nike, a company with a history of moving manufacturing jobs overseas and poor labor practices. It was a fitting choice of a venue to push for fast-tracking a deal that could undermine U.S. workers, taxpayers, and our economy.

“The TPP has been negotiated in secret, and yet its proponents want to rush it through Congress through a process called Fast-Track. The president may say ‘Just Do It,’ but the American people say, ‘Don’t do it.’ Don’t choose corporate interests over American interests.

“MoveOn members have been fighting against Fast-Track and the TPP—with tens of thousands of Americans signing petitions, and calling and visiting their members of Congress. And we will keep fighting any effort to Fast-Track the TPP through Congress.”

Congress is currently wrestling with the decision to Fast-Track the TPP—a dangerous trade agreement that’s been called “NAFTA on steroids.” Fast-Track legislation would give the president authority to sign a trade agreement, and then push it through Congress in just 90 days, with limited debate and no changes allowed.

MoveOn members have taken numerous actions over the past few months to oppose Fast-Track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal:

  • More than 49,000 MoveOn members have signed a petition calling on Congress to reject the TPP. [Tell Congress: We Can’t Afford to Outsource More Jobs]
  • More than 4,000 MoveOn members signed up earlier this year to drop by the member of Congress’ office to encourage them to stand with people over corporations and reject the TPP.
  • In February, Robert Reich and MoveOn released a video titled “The Worst Trade Deal You’ve Never Heard Of – The Story of the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” a short explainer of the currently pending trade deal. The video has been viewed millions of times and urges viewers to make sure that Congress rejects Fast Track authority. View the video here.
  • In March, more than 79 percent of responding Oregon MoveOn members said they would support a primary challenger to Sen. Wyden in the 2016 Senate primary if the Senator helped grant fast-track authority to pass the TPP.  MoveOn has more than 88,000 members in Oregon.

Photo: Flickr/oregonmildep