Trade Deal with Duterte: Trump Would Reward Human Rights Abuses & Authoritarianism

Statement

U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, reacted to the anticipated Trump Administration's notice of intent to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Philippines:

"Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has openly committed grave human rights abuses, praises extrajudicial killings, promotes violence, threatens priests and indigenous peoples, discriminates against individuals with HIV/AIDS, and made abhorrent comments about rape. Claiming that trade negotiations with him would stop his murderous and tyrannical impulses is a phony cover for Trump plans to again reward a thug. This is yet another example of President Trump admiring and rewarding authoritarians. Like the tepid Trump response to Saudi Arabia's apparent murder and dismemberment of an American resident working for the Washington Post, the Trump Administration raises human rights concerns against some adversaries but ignores gross misconduct by some of our purported allies."

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