Issa asks to observe Asia-Pacific trade pact talks

A top House Republican wants an inside look into negotiations of an Asia-Pacific trade deal. 

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (Calif.) sent a letter to U.S. trade officials requesting that he and his staff be able to observe the upcoming round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) starting July 2 in San Diego. 

In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Issa expressed his concerns, one of which is building among lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol, that there is a lack of transparency surrounding the negotiations. 

“Given the immense impact that this agreement will have on many areas of the American economy, including intellectual property, I respectfully request that you allow me and certain members of my staff to be present as observers for this round of negotiations,” Issa wrote in the letter, which was sent Tuesday. 

“It is my hope that observing the negotiating process firsthand will help to alleviate some of my concerns about the process through which the agreement is being negotiated.”

The TPP's 11 nations — Mexico and Canada were recently invited to join the talks — are entering their 13th rounds of talks and have said they hope to have an agreement by the end of the year, possibly before the November elections. 

In May, Issa posted the intellectual property section of the TPP agreement from February 2011 on his "Keep The Web Open" site.

Kirk has maintained that the trade talks require a certain amount of secrecy to keep discussions flowing and more open to issues that the countries may otherwise avoid.