The Democratic congressmen who are part of the Ways and Means Committee, led by the president of this entity, Richard E. Neal, and the president of the Subcommittee on Commerce of Ways and Means, Earl Blumenauer, expressed their deep concern to the representative of Commerce of States United, Robert E. Lighthizer, regarding the Trump Administration’s “hasty trade negotiations with Ecuador and the lack of consultation with Congress as part of that process.”
The congressmen issued a concern letter to the United States Trade Representative one day after Ecuador and the United States signed the first-phase trade agreement. According to this statement, Democrats support active engagement with Ecuador, but indicated that they were deeply concerned about the timing, speed and manner of the Trump administration’s approach.
“These negotiations seem to have started recently, however, you concluded an agreement with your Ecuadorian counterparts yesterday, December 8. Therefore, almost all of the negotiation, if not all, took place after the US presidential elections occurred.
In the same way, the members of Congress clarified that there are worrisome issues about this negotiation, since Ecuador would have a long history of deforestation and participation in harmful fishing practices, including illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing activities.
In addition, due to the ineffective application of labor rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The congressmen also mentioned dependence on China.
To conclude, Democrats raised concerns about the treatment of basic human rights in Ecuador, including the use of excessive force against protesters in October last year.
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