https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQDNpkDkOII

Even though the deal had support from both Republicans and Democrats, it became a campaign symbol for lost manufacturing jobs, especially in the rust belt states.

From the article:

“The TPP would have included the US and 11 countries in Asia, South America and the south Pacific, and was designed in large part to curb the growing economic influence of China.

But it was attacked almost daily by Trump, who called it “a continuing rape of our country” and argued that as a symbol of globalized manufacturing in general, it had sent jobs from the US to other countries and damaged the American economy.”

(Trump has argued the same thing about the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).)

During the campaign, Hillary Clinton argued against the TPP in its current form:

  • It would have phased out thousands of tariffs other countries place on US imports, making products easier to sell abroad.
  • It would have set up open internet and copyright protections across the 12 nations, benefitting the entertainment industry and undercutting online piracy in China.
  • It included provisions against wildlife trafficking and child labor.

However, there were no protections against countries that manipulate their currency and foreign companies suing for exemptions to various US rules.

Given that so many countries had signup up, Australia and Peru were also slated to join, many feel that the next president and Congress will have to continue to move forward with the deal.

We shall see.

 

Source: The Guardian