May 27, 2015, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement responding to reports that the House of Representative may strip out anti-slavery provisions in the fast track legislation:
“The Senate-passed version of trade authority legislation explicitly bars Malaysia from joining the trade agreement due their official U.S. State Department certification as human slave traffickers. And now the issue of slavery has been dumped in the laps of House Republicans, who must choose between their legacy as the party of Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, and their corporate crony funders. There is simply no excuse for the party of Lincoln to gut provisions that bar Obama’s deal with a nation that his own administration has certified to be slave traders. This gives a whole new meaning to Obama’s ‘trade’ deal, and is just one additional reason why Congress should reject fast tracking the agreement.”
Attachments:
State Department analysis states Malaysia is “a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and women and children subjected to sex trafficking,” annual report on trafficking in persons submitted under section 110(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, at http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2014/226770.htm
“Obama takes unexpected setback on trade agenda as fast track passes Senate,” May 24, 2015, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/22/senate-passes-fast-track_n_7425614.html
“America’s first black president throwing slaves under the bus on TPP,” May 27, 2015 at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/05/americas-first-black-president-throwing-slaves-under-the-bus-on-tpp.html
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at (703) 383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.
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