Action Alert – Please make two calls to your Senators Call 1-888-410-0619 twice to reach both of your Senators, and tell them to oppose fast track and protect anti-human trafficking provisions.
Today, May 19th the Senate begins voting on amendments to the Congressional Bipartisan Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, a bill that would approve Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), also known as “fast track,” and speed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement through Congress.
While continuing to vigorously oppose the TPA and TPP, we see the opportunity through one of the amendments to ensure that countries with poor human trafficking records can’t be part of any trade deals.
The No Fast Track for Human Traffickers amendment, introduced by Senator Menendez (D-NJ), stipulates that the United States cannot enter into formal trade agreements with countries that the State Department identifies as a Tier 3 ranking in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. This means our trading partners have to take direct action to address labor and sex slavery within their borders before they enter into trade agreements with the United States.
Please call your U.S. senators and urge them to vote against the TPA legislation and to defend the Menendez amendment. 1-888-410-0619 to reach each of your senators. All of our work on this issue is making a difference! It is crucial that your senators hear from you on the human trafficking amendment
A sample message:
Hello, my name is (NAME) and I’m a constituent from (CITY). I’m calling because I oppose fast track, and I want to urge you to do all you can to prevent making a bad bill even worse. Please work to protect the Menendez amendment, which requires countries to meet basic standards to prevent human trafficking before receiving special trade privileges. Countries that do not take basic steps to eliminate human trafficking should be required to take action before the United States gives them special trade treatment. Our trade policy must lift people out of poverty and create shared prosperity. Please protect the Menendez amendment.
