Dear Mr. :
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
First, please know that as a U.S. Senator, I carefully review each free trade agreement that comes before me to ensure that the best interests of American workers and businesses are served, and that the agreement will not adversely affect the U.S. economy, human rights, labor rights or environmental standards.
After seven years of negotiations, on October 5, 2015, the participating nations announced that an agreement had finally been concluded. The TPP is a free-trade agreement among 12 countries including, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the United States. The agreement cannot come into effect until it is approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
As you may be aware, I voted in favor of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)—otherwise known as fast-track authority—because it granted the President the ability to finalize important trade legislation, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Under Trade Promotion Authority, the President must notify Congress at least 90 days before signing the agreement, and text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership must be made public for at least 60 days prior to signing the agreement. On November 5, 2015, President Obama notified Congress of his intent to sign the trade agreement, and the full text of it was made available to the public. The text can be found on the United States Trade Representative's website http://ustr.gov.
At this time, my staff and I are carefully reviewing every aspect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I believe that expanding trade with our neighbors while balancing our domestic priorities is in our national interest. However, if I come to the conclusion that the agreement would negatively affect Ca, I will not hesitate to oppose it.
Please know that I have taken careful note of your views on this important issue, and I will keep your thoughts in mind as I review the final text of TPP.
Again, thank you for your letter. I hope you continue to keep me informed on matters of importance to you. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C., office at (202) 224-3841 or visit my website at www.feinstein.senate.gov. Best regards.
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Further information about my position on issues of concern to Ca and the nation are available at my website, feinstein.senate.gov. And please visit my YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for more ways to communicate with me.