(Read Parts 1 and 2 here and here.)

Letter from Senator Bernie Sanders to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman dated Jan. 5, 2015 (any transcription errors are my fault):

Dear Ambassador Froman:

Very early this year, the Senate may vote on legislation that would grant the President fast track trade negotiating authority.  If this legislation is signed into law, it could pave the way for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Agreement (TPP) with limited debate and no opportunities for amendments.

As you know, the TPP is poised to be the largest free trade agreement in history encompassing 12 nations that account for nearly 40 percent of the global economy.  I have been very concerned that up to this date the text of this agreement has not been made public.  The only text I am aware of that has been made public so far has been through leaked documents, and I find what I read to be very troubling.

It is incomprehensible to me that the leaders of major corporate interests who stand to gain enormous financial benefits from this agreement are actively involved in the writing of the TPP while, at the same time, the elected officials of this country, representing the American people, have little or no knowledge as to what is in it.

Members of Congress and their staff must have the opportunity to read what is in the TPP and closely analyze the potential impact this free trade agreement would have on the American people long before the Senate votes to give the President fast track trade promotion authority.

The TPP is not just another free trade agreement.  It has broad economic and political implications for the entire economy, national sovereignty, healthcare, the environment, national security, and the Federal budget, among many other issues.  It goes without saying that the American people and their elected officials have a right to know what is in this agreement before fast track is voted on.

Therefore, I am requsting a copy of the full composite bracketed text, without redactions, of the TPP.  I would also request that staff, and experts of my choosing be allowed access to this copy so that they can read the text, take notes, and analyze the relevant statutory and economic implications of this agreement.

Please let me know if this would be possible not later than Friday, January 16, 2015.

If you cannot fulfill this request, please explain in your reply:

• The statutory prohibition or internal guidelines which prevent you from sharing this information with a member of Congress, staff, outside experts, or the American people.

Please also explain why you think it is appropriate that the representatives of the largest financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, oil companies, media conglomerates, and other major corporate interests not only have access to some of these documents, but are also playing a major role in developing many of the key provisions in it.  Meanwhile, the people who will suffer the consequences of this treaty have been shut out of this process,  In my view, this is simply unacceptable.

As you well know, the Constitution of the United States gives Congress the “authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations.”  That is not my language.  That is the Constitution of the United States of America.

Let me be very clear.   If you choose not to release this information, I will be working with my colleagues in the Senate on legislation to require that the entire content of any trade agreement being negotiated be made public at the request of any Member of Congress.  And, I for one, will certainly make that request.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,
Bernard Sanders
United States Senator