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VT Senator Jeffords Opposes Fast Track
This pronouncement came as a welcome surprise to anti-Fast Track activists whose request for the Senator's position on Fast Track had previously been eluded by his staff members.
Under Fast Track (Trade Promotion Authority), Congress is given only 60 days to review an entire trade agreement (anywhere from 500-1,000 pages). The House and Senate each can only debate the trade agreement for 20 hours, giving almost no time to labor unions and environmentalists to voice their opinions. Then Congress can only vote "yes" or "no" to the entire trade agreement. No amendments can be made to the trade agreement under Fast Track.
Critics of Fast Track charge that it derails democracy by severely resticting the input of the American People when negotiating trade deals. Trade deals such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), in particular, are likely to result in massive American manufacturing job losses, such as occurred with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The FTAA is considered the hemispheric continuation of NAFTA, which has been disastrous to workers, indigenous peoples and the environment.
"Our representatives are being asked to give the President sole negotiating power on trade agreements that will severely impact the lives of American workers and their families. This is the total opposite of what democracy is supposed to be," stated Anne Petermann of Action for Social and Ecological Justice, based in Burlington, VT.
Senator Jeffords was met in Montpelier, Vermont by anti-Fast Track activists at a book signing to promote his book, "My Declaration of Independence."
By Anne Petermann
On Saturday, January 12, in front of a crowd of 30
Vermonters rallying against Fast Track (now called Trade Promotion Authority), Senator James Jeffords (Vermont, Independent) declared that he would not support Fast Track. When asked later for confirmation that this was, in fact, the Senator's stance on the issue, he reiterated, "I will not vote for Fast Track."
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