Elizabeth Warren just unveiled a trade plan designed to improve the lives of workers and tighten the screws on big corporations

The Massachusetts senator argued that free trade is only good if it benefits American workers, and tariffs aren't a permanent solution to systemic trade issues. The policy emphasizes America's ability to set examples for other nations, whether its labor laws, anti-corruption policies, or environmental standards. Instead of free trade that benefit multinational corporations, investment in American workers will raise the bar for the US and nations it trades with. The policy does away with the Fast Track method used by Congress to push policy through. Warren's proposal emphasizes transparency, calling for publicly disclosed negotiation drafts, regional analysis of an agreement's economic effects, and a longer congressional approval procedure. The new process would allow representatives and the public to have a greater say in such agreements, Warren wrote. Our current approach to negotiating trade agreements works great for the wealthy and the well-connected, she said. Once those corporate interests are finished whispering in the ears of our negotiators, the completed text is released.There is no reason to trade access to the US market for vague commitments to do better in regard to labor, environmental, and human rights issues, Warren wrote. Under a Warren administration, the US would establish a set of standards for nations looking to trade, and renegotiate current trade deals to meet the same conditions. Here are the preconditions noted in the post: Recognition and enforcement of the International Labour Organization's core labor rights. These include the elimination of child labor and the right to collective bargaining. Enforcement of human rights laws set forth by the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights. Enforcement of religious freedom. Compliance with standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Membership in the Paris Climate agreement, with an independently verified plan to reduce harmful emissions. Elimination of fossil fuel subsidies. Ratification of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials Compliance with any tax treaty made with the US, and participation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's project to combat tax evasion. Absence from the Treasury's list of nations that merit attention for their currency practices. Shamefully, America itself does not meet many of these labor and environmental standards today, Warren said. I am committed to fixing that as President. The candidate also expands on areas she seeks to improve the lives of US citizens. Her post mentions a number of initiatives to support green policies, bring down the cost of prescription drugs, reward American farmers, and assess how mergers harm competition.Warren's post argued that corporations have access to powerful tools that benefit their bottom line at Americans' expense. Warren's enforcement policy calls for an end to Investor-State Dispute Settlements, or practices used by corporations to skirt typical courts when they believe a new law violates a trade agreement. The rulings aren't reviewed by an actual court, but instead by an international panel of corporate lawyers typically tied to the corporations involved, Warren wrote. The policy looks to eliminate ISDS from current and future agreements. The rulings often leave a nation's citizens to pay corporations billions in damages, all outside the purview of a fully independent court, Warren said. The post also calls for greater enforcement of labor and environmental standards. Labor unions don't enjoy the benefits of ISDS, allowing the government to ignore their requests for a wide range of reasons, Warren said. The senator proposes independent and expert-led commissions to investigate union claims and monitor violations. If one of the commissions recommends the US bring a claim against another country, the US would be required to do so, Warren wrote. The Medium post follows a release from Warren on July 22 that outlined her plan to avoid a coming economic crash. The post named household and corporate debt, as well as a weakening manufacturing sector, as the biggest risks for the American economy.

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Elizabeth Warren just unveiled a trade plan designed to improve the lives of workers and tighten the screws on big corporations

Reinvent "free trade"

Demand a higher standard of living

Strengthen enforcement of corporations and foreign governments