In Senate race, Burr and Ross clash over trade deal they both oppose

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Richard Burr is criticizing his Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross, saying she has failed to make clear her position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a trade deal that critics say could add hurt North Carolina communities already damaged by the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade deal involving the United States, Canada, Mexico, and nine other Pacific Rim countries that aims to strengthen economic ties between the nations by reducing tariffs and promoting trade. The deal has been finalized but not ratified.

The Republican Burr attacked Ross in a Aug. 12 tweet that asked why she hadn’t spoken out against TPP. North Carolina sustained job losses in the aftermath of the NAFTA agreement and its residents are now caught in the crosscurrents of politics and big trade deals, said Ferrel Guillory, adjunct faculty member in University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Department of Public Policy.

Its residents with a stake in the textile and furniture industry suffered greatly in the recession of 2008, Guillory said.

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