The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was signed by the twelve participating countries on February 4, 2016. The 5,544 page (2,056,560 words, about three times the King James Version of the bible) document was then submitted to the U.S. Congress for approval. The U.S. Trade Representative’s website makes TPP sound good: “Leveling the playing field for American workers & American businesses.” This article will explore whether TPP achieves that objective.
TPP has become one of the most visible issues of the 2016 presidential campaign. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders aggressively promised to reject TPP. Hillary Clinton is now opposing TPP after referring to it as the “Gold Standard” for trade agreements during her years as Secretary of State.