A senior U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday urged the Obama administration to push for tough rules on opening the U.S. market to more Japanese autos and to take a firm line in free trade talks against currency manipulation, as Detroit automakers and workers turned up the heat on the White House.
The demand from Representative Sander Levin, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, highlighted the difficulty President Barack Obama may face in getting the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership pact through Congress, unless he responds to concerns about the agreement among many of his own party members.
In addition, more than 80,000 auto workers for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have signed petitions expressing their opposition to Japan's entry into the TPP agreement, unless Tokyo takes steps to import more U.S. cars and agrees to rules against currency manipulation, the American Automotive Policy Council and United Auto Workers said in a joint statement.