A ship docked at SSA Terminal 18.
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
The Obama administration is continuing its push to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership through Congress. It released a study Tuesday specifically
outlining benefits for Oregon.
The Oregon report found that last year, nearly 44 percent of goods exported went to the 11 countries working on the partnership.
"Those goods currently face tariffs as high as 35 percent. But with TPP, 99.6 percent will be duty free immediately," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
She said reduced tariffs are just one of the reasons the agreement should boost exports, increase jobs and help Oregon businesses. The study also said that adopting the TPP would help Oregon agricultural products reach new markets.
But not everyone in the state is supportive. The Oregon AFL-CIO says the U.S. can’t afford another trade deal that benefits multinational corporations at the cost of middle class jobs.
The union points to federal labor department figures that show more than 50,000 Oregonians lost their jobs as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA passed in the mid-1990s.
The Obama administration's study states that of the more than 3,600 Oregon companies who ship to TPP countries, 88 percent were small or medium sized businesses.