The White House is again trying to quell concerns made by Sen. Elizabeth Warren about a certain aspect of a proposed free trade agreement, widening an existing gap in President Obama and Warren's long, complicated relationship.
During a Wednesday conference call organized by the Alliance for Justice, the Massachusetts Democrat warned against part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership called the Investor-State Dispute Settlement that would allow individuals to sue foreign governments of countries where they invest. Warren said this aspect of the trade agreement could allow multinational corporations to use such legal action to weaken U.S. law.
The White House has said it is promoting stronger safeguards and transparency in negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But Warren criticized the lack of transparency from the administration, which has said it is putting in place safeguards.
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"They refuse to make the text of the trade agreement public," Warren said on the conference call. "If they are sure that they fixed this problem, they need to show us the new provisions, not wave their hands around and say don't worry."