Iowa Fair Trade Campaign Position: Foreign investors must not be given the right to sue governments directly under trade agreements. The investor privileges included in most trade agreements expose our domestic environmental, public health, zoning and other public interest laws to potential challenge by foreign corporations in secret tribunals. Trade agreements must not allow private investors and corporations to compel governments to pay compensation for the costs of complying with laws, regulations, or other policies to protect the public welfare.

Sen. Joe Biden's Position Sen. Hillary Clinton's Position Sen. Chris Dodd's Position
Not included in statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign Not included in statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign "I will use the power of the Presidency to ensure Congress passes a law to remove the enforcement mechanisms that allow corporations to directly challenge state, local or federal public interest laws for perceived loss of profit and will ban such provisions from any future agreements. I see this as a critical part of insisting on trade agreements that put the interests of all Americans first" (Statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign)
Former Sen. John Edwards' Position Sen. Barack Obama's Position Gov. Bill Richardson's Position
"Rather than foreign investor protections that promote offshoring and job loss, agreements must have at their core strong protections for the global environment and the five basic internationally-recognized core labor rights as stated in the eight fundamental International Labor Organizations (ILO) conventions." (Statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign) "With regards to provisions in several FTA's that give foreign investors the right to sue governments directly in foreign tribunals, I will ensure that this right is strictly limited and will fully exempt any law or regulation written to protect public safety or promote the public interest. Our judicial system is strong and gives everyone conducting business in the United States recourse in our courts. The tribunal system was created to ensure that our investors would have access to similar protection abroad. I understand the concerns surrounding this issue, and am committed to working to address them." (Statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign) Not included in statement to IA Fair Trade Campaign