Environmentalists from the Sierra Club, union members with the Communications Workers of America and even a few members of Code Pink gather to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations in Washington, D.C., on Monday. James Clark/NPR hide caption
Environmentalists from the Sierra Club, union members with the Communications Workers of America and even a few members of Code Pink gather to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
When it comes to environmental regulations, taxes and the minimum wage, business groups generally object to President Obama's positions, while liberals support him.
But one issue blurs the usual political lines: trade.
Just last week, Obama told the Business Roundtable he would push to complete massive trade deals with both Asian and European nations. "If we can get that done, that's good for American businesses," he said.
On Monday, as negotiators from Pacific Rim nations assembled in Washington to advance the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), they were met by protests from liberal groups including environmentalists, union members and consumer advocates.
Outside of the U.S. Trade Representative's office near the White House, the protesters carried signs saying, "TPP = Polluters' Bill of Rights" and "Save Our Jobs."
Shane Larson was among them. He says he objects to the way trade negotiations are conducted, which is in private. "The people are completely shut out of having input in what the trade agreement should look like," said Larson, the legislative director for Communications Workers of America, a union that strongly endorsed Obama's election.
Earlier in the day, several liberal lawmakers spoke with reporters, raising objections to the trade pact that would tie together the U.S. economy with 11 others around the Pacific Rim, including Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and Australia.
"The administration refuses to change its approach to secret negotiations and is pushing to send a final package to Congress with almost no ability for us to scrutinize it," said Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut.
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Some Liberals And Tea Partiers Unite To Oppose Trade Deals