Trade
Sen. Obama (D-IL) generally supports free trade policies, though like many of his fellow Democratic candidates, he has expressed concern about free trade agreements that do not include labor and environmental protections. In a February 2008 speech at the General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, Obama said he "will not sign another trade agreement unless it has protections for our environment and protections for American workers."
Obama has called NAFTA a "bad" trade deal. In an August 2007 Democratic debate, Obama said he would meet with the Canadian and Mexican heads of state to “try to amend NAFTA,” saying the agreement “should reflect the principle that our trade should not just be good for Wall Street, but should also be good for Main Street”
In a February 2008 Democratic debate, Obama said he would "make sure that we renegotiate" NAFTA and use "the hammer of a potential opt-out" of NAFTA as leverage to ensure enforceable labor and environmental protections.
Still, in February 2008, Obama said he does not think "it's realistic for us to repeal NAFTA," because that could lead to "more job loss ... than job gains."
Obama voted to approve the 2006 FTA with Oman. He opposed CAFTA, however, explaining in 2005, “It does less to protect labor than previous trade agreements, and does little to address enforcement of basic environmental standards in the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.” Obama did not vote on the 2007 Peru FTA, but expressed support for the deal (AP).
In a March 2008 speech, Obama said he would oppose a free trade agreement with Columbia, because "the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements." Obama has also criticized the U.S.-South Korea FTA, which he said is "bad for American workers."
Obama has criticized China for manipulating its currency, and in June 2007 urged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to take action against China. "At least partially as a result of the Administration’s failure to address Chinese currency manipulation, the U.S. imported more than $232 billion in goods from China than we sold to it last year," he wrote.In March 2008, Obama praised the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act, which requires that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine the CPSC's monitoring of goods imported to the United States, and make recommendations to improve safety and regulation. "We must ensure that the CPSC has every tool available to effectively regulate imported products in today's global marketplace and protect our most vulnerable citizens from dangerous products," Obama said.
Sen. Obama (D-IL) generally supports free trade policies, though like many of his fellow Democratic candidates, he has expressed concern about free trade agreements that do not include labor and environmental protections. In a February 2008 speech at the General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, Obama said he "will not sign another trade agreement unless it has protections for our environment and protections for American workers."
Obama has called NAFTA a "bad" trade deal. In an August 2007 Democratic debate, Obama said he would meet with the Canadian and Mexican heads of state to “try to amend NAFTA,” saying the agreement “should reflect the principle that our trade should not just be good for Wall Street, but should also be good for Main Street”
In a February 2008 Democratic debate, Obama said he would "make sure that we renegotiate" NAFTA and use "the hammer of a potential opt-out" of NAFTA as leverage to ensure enforceable labor and environmental protections.
Still, in February 2008, Obama said he does not think "it's realistic for us to repeal NAFTA," because that could lead to "more job loss ... than job gains."
Obama voted to approve the 2006 FTA with Oman. He opposed CAFTA, however, explaining in 2005, “It does less to protect labor than previous trade agreements, and does little to address enforcement of basic environmental standards in the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.” Obama did not vote on the 2007 Peru FTA, but expressed support for the deal (AP).
In a March 2008 speech, Obama said he would oppose a free trade agreement with Columbia, because "the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements." Obama has also criticized the U.S.-South Korea FTA, which he said is "bad for American workers."
Obama has criticized China for manipulating its currency, and in June 2007 urged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to take action against China. "At least partially as a result of the Administration’s failure to address Chinese currency manipulation, the U.S. imported more than $232 billion in goods from China than we sold to it last year," he wrote.In March 2008, Obama praised the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act, which requires that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine the CPSC's monitoring of goods imported to the United States, and make recommendations to improve safety and regulation. "We must ensure that the CPSC has every tool available to effectively regulate imported products in today's global marketplace and protect our most vulnerable citizens from dangerous products," Obama said.
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