MSNBC "The Ed Show"- Transcript: Trans Pacific Partnership

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

For more, let me bring in Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett. Congressman,
good to have you with us tonight.

REP. LLOYD DOGGETT, (D) TEXAS: Thank you, Ed. It is a really horrifying
situation.

SCHULTZ: Why is the state department even considering this?

DOGGETT: Well, I`ve raised this directly with the state department
earlier, and with Ambassador Froman. They`ve assured me earlier that they
would not do this but the reports that we`re hearing perhaps from a
whistle-blower about this is very troubling. The real question is, can we
develop a 21st century international trade policy that incorporates our
American values, including respect for individuals and certainly stopping
sex trafficking, trafficking in children, and forced labor? The Malaysia
situation has just gotten worse and for them, to reward Malaysia at this
time would be a real step backward.

SCHULTZ: So Malaysia has made no progress in your opinion in the stopping
of human trafficking?

DOGGETT: No. And it is more than my opinion or Senator Menendez. I
raised this concern in the ways and means committee during the markup but
our ambassador to Malaysia in April noted they had not made progress to get
out of tier 3 and this report only covered to the prior month that the
state department is considering further recently, the president of the bar
association. The attorneys in Malaysia noted there was no basis for
removing Malaysia from that list, that awful list of North Korea, Syria and
Zimbabwe, a few countries in the world that don`t value people that treat
them as slaves.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DOGGETT: That`s what we`re trying to prevent.

SCHULTZ: I don`t want to put words in your mouth, be would you think that
it seems or appears like the United States would sell its moral soul to get
this trade deal done?

DOGGETT: Well, Ed, that`s what`s so troubling to those of us who have
sought a better TPP and a better Fast-Track. The Fast-Trackers seem to
only be concerned about how many goods and services move across borders,
and not concerned with those values, the issues of worker rights in
Vietnam, of trafficking in Malaysia, of destroying the hardwood forest in
Peru. The USTR just does not seem to place a priority on those matters.
They`re either indifferent or they just don`t prioritize this.

SCHULTZ: Do you expect a response from the White House? And the
president? I mean, did you expect a response from President Obama? Is it
that critical?

DOGGETT: I think it is that critical. I think he needs to speak out on
this issue personally. We`re hearing that the report, which has been
delayed, this trafficking and persons report normally comes out at the
beginning of June. It`s been delayed longer than any time in history. It
appears to be coinciding with this trade conference out in Maui (ph), that
it may be released next week. And I certainly hope that we don`t reward
Malaysia but I don`t want to see this report, which has been the gold
standard around the world in dealing with trafficking, to see it devalued
and rejected by simply manipulating it for one country that is not a good
actor on these issues.

SCHULTZ: And quickly, congressman, do you expect other countries to raise
the same concerns you are and this country is?

DOGGETT: One would certainly hope so. If you read reports like the one
you referenced, if you look at the groups around the world that really are
trying to do something about trafficking, they want the world to speak out
on this.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

DOGGETT: But President Obama and the United States need to lead the way.

SCHULTZ: Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas. Great to have you with us
tonight, sir.

DOGGETT: Thank you Ed.

SCHULTZ: Thanks so much.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source