skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Gov. Herbert Backs Fast-Track for Controversial Trade Agreement

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 10, 2015   

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is calling on Congress to approve Trade Promotion Authority, also called "fast-track," for the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

Herbert and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper sent a letter to Congress stressing that the TPP could boost their states' economies. But they may be in the minority. Dale Cox, who heads the Utah AFL-CIO, said fast-track would give President Obama the power to negotiate the massive trade deal between the United States and 11 other nations, while restricting Congress' ability to modify it.

"The fast-track bypasses Congress," he said. "When the trade deal is negotiated, it's done in secret, nobody knows what's in it, and the Congress can either vote 'yes' or 'no' - they can't make additions, deletions."

The House is preparing to vote on the fast-track proposal, which the Senate already passed. Earlier this month, several groups reportedly presented Congress with petitions containing about 2 million signatures opposing fast-track.

In his letter to Congress, Herbert said $1 billion in U.S. exports supports 5,000 jobs in America. However, Cox said previous international trade agreements have a history of killing jobs.

"My reaction to the governor is, 'I hope those 5,000 jobs materialize,' but, as with past trade agreements, it seems more jobs go offshore than come to American citizens," he said.

Cox said he believes the major problem with the TPP remains that the 1,200-page bill, involving 40 percent of the global economy, has been negotiated in secret, and very little is known about the details.

The Utah AFL-CIO's website is utahaflcio.org. Herbert's letter is online at utah.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021