Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and labor union chiefs praised President Donald Trump for withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Monday.
Sanders, who fell short of Hillary Clinton in last year's Democratic race for president, said the TPP was bad for American jobs and had to go.
"I am glad the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead and gone," the Vermont lawmaker said in a statement. "For the last 30 years, we have had a series of trade deals — including the North American Free Trade Agreement, permanent normal trade relations with China and others — which have cost us millions of decent-paying jobs and caused a 'race to the bottom,' which has lowered wages for American workers."
Sanders did, however, take a swipe at Trump in his brief statement.
"If President Trump is seriously opposed to outsourcing, he can lead the way by shutting down his own sweatshops in Bangladesh, China and Mexico and paying workers in the U.S. a living wage," he said. "Then, Congress and the president can work together to develop a new trade policy that helps working families, not just multi-national corporations."
The AFL-CIO and the Teamsters Union both backed Clinton over Trump in the presidential race, but the leaders of the labor groups stood on Trump's side Monday.
AFL-CIO president Richard Richard Trumka posted this statement on Twitter:
Teamsters Union president James Hoffa was also pleased, saying this: "We take this development as a positive sign that President Trump will continue to fulfill his campaign promises in regard to trade policy reform and instruct the USTR to negotiate future agreements that protect American workers and industry."
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