MSNBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript: Trans Pacific Partnership

Interview

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REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY, (D) ILLINOIS: And happy birthday Ed. Happy birthday
to you.

SCHULTZ: Well, thank you for reminding me that my fishing days are now even more numbered. Well, thank you very much. That`s very kind of you.

Congresswoman, this is a huge deal if it goes through. It`s a huge piece of authority fast track. It does -- as we have documented, circumvent the Congress in a representative government. Should this be in the State of the Union tomorrow night? Are you looking for the president to give some explanation here?

SCHAKOWSKY: You know, I have mix feelings about this Ed. You know, this is the largest trade deal. It makes NAFTA look small. There are 12 countries. They represent about 38 percent of global economic activities. And yes, it is a bad deal for Americans. But I have to tell you Ed that time is on our side. A group called the Citizen Straight Campaign just denounced 550 different groups that have come out against it. The more people know about it. The more they don`t like it and are organizing against it. And so, I don`t know that we want to stir the pot right now, and hopefully, we can postpone this deal. I haven`t really seen a ramming through right now.

And in the mean time, a lot of really good organizing in education like you`ve been enjoying can be going on. But there is no question that when you talk about income inequality, or getting our economy growing, inviting countries like Vietnam that have a minimum wage of $0.28 an hour.

SCHULTZ: Sure.

SCHAKOWSKY: . we should not be inviting them to be with us.

SCHULTZ: So, Congresswoman Schakowsky, you think the Congress has gotten out in front of this that the trade groups have got out in front of this, that there is enough of word astounded (ph) to really slow the momentum that the White House was looking for?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, I have to tell you that I`ve talked my friend across the aisle, Michele Bachmann. There are many Republicans as well that are really not interested in this kind of fast track authority. As you can imagine, they`re not interested in giving the president more authority to ask.

SCHULTZ: Sure.

SCHAKOWSKY: And we have to agree with that because it takes away the power of the Congress to amend or to change in any way the provisions of a negotiated agreement. So, I think we have the votes or soon will to defeat fast track and that`s what would bring us right to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

SCHULTZ: And tell us more about this trade group that has come out in the -- I think you said 500 different organizations, where are they -- how powerful are they? And what does it mean?

SCHAKOWSKY: Yeah, I mean, the really great thing about the Citizens Trade Campaign is that it is so diverse when you have human rights groups because we know we`re dealing with countries that have human rights abuses -- the faith community, the labor community, and the environmental community, because we could have our own environmental laws being challenged by corporations. And you know, the big winners -- let`s face it, once again, are the multinational.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SCHAKOWSKY: . corporations in Wall Street. So this kind if a coalition is going to be out educating their members as well as, you know, the work that you`re doing, and members of Congress are doing, I think, are going to slow down the whole process, and hopefully, just put it to sleep.

SCHULTZ: Last year, the president talked about climate change. He talked about tax reform. He talked about those that he didn`t get any of it in 2013. OK. It didn`t get tax reform at all. So what`s makes us believe that anything is going to change on the heels of these State of the Union address? And beyond that, how aggressive do you want the president to be tomorrow night in pointing out the obstruction that he has had to put up with, that the countries had to put up with, and how we have it move forward? I mean, when does the president run out of patience when he has the attention to the American people which is the State of the Union?

SCHAKOWSKY: Well, the president is going to be talking about action tomorrow. And that action is going to -- includes his power of the pen, the executive authority for him to act without calling on Congress and the phone. And what he means by that is calling up.

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

SCHAKOWSKY: . organizations like the college presidents to come in and work with him and not.

SCHULTZ: But I`m saying, he`s got to make sure the American people and the guys that are sitting on the other side of the aisle, they know he means business and he is going to do it. And I think that that`s really where it all sits for tomorrow night.

SCHAKOWSKY: I`m looking for that too.

SCHULTZ: Yes. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, always a pleasure. Good to have you with us.

SCHAKOWSKY: Thank you Ed.

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