Twenty-five Republican senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to re-engage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Friday afternoon.
Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines and 24 other Republicans sent Trump a signed letter asking him to reconsider his decision to pull the U.S. out of the TPP. Trump has stated he is against the agreement unless the U.S. were to “receive a better deal” and even signed an executive order to begin the process of removing the U.S. from TPP negotiations in January 2017.
In the letter, first reported Tuesday, the 25 Republicans said they believe the TPP could help the economy and create more jobs in the U.S.
“As you know, increased economic engagement with the eleven nations currently in the TPP has the potential to substantially improve the competitiveness of US businesses, support millions of US jobs, increase US exports, increase wages, fully unleash America’s energy potential, and benefit consumers,” the letter stated. “Increasing access to a region and market that has a population of nearly 500 million can create widespreadbenefits to the US economy.”
25 Republican senators write a letter to @realDonaldTrump asking him to re-engage in TPP. pic.twitter.com/y9ZPB0TSSQ
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 20, 2018
“Further, TPP can serve as a way to strengthen ties with our allies in the region, counter the influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and increase pressure on the PRC to adopt substantive and positive economic reforms,” the letter continued.
Trump told CNBC in late January that he would be open to TPP if he was able to make a better deal. (RELATED: Trump Open To DACA Amnesty And TPP In 24 Hours)
“I’m only saying this, I will do TPP if we were able to make a substantially better deal. The deal was terrible. the way it was structured was terrible. If we did a substantially better deal, I would be open to TPP,” Trump said.
It is unclear how the president will respond to the letter from GOP lawmakers.
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