Posted on 06/12/2015 7:58:29 AM PDT by xzins
On Friday, there will likely be a vote on fast-tracking President Obama's most progressive trade deal(s) in history. Here is why the House should vote no on granting the president what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called "an enormous grant of power."
1. Obama is a terrible negotiator, so he needs full oversight. Remember the Iranian nuclear deal, the China climate deal, the Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl release deal? These are just three examples that prove a simple fact: Obama is not a very good negotiator when it comes to representing U.S. interests. Fast-track trade authority denies Congress the capacity to amend Obama's vision for the world's economy while virtually assuring passage through the lower vote threshold. 2. The already-negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) creates a new international structure that supercedes U.S. law. Here is what Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) wrote:
When the Senate voted on fast-track, many Senators were unaware that they were voting to authorize the President to form a new transnational governance structure. The Trans-Pacific Partnership resembles a treaty more than a trade deal. And like a treaty, it confers the power to both compel and restrict changes to U.S. policy, to commit the U.S. to new international obligations, and to cede sovereign authority to a foreign body. Specifically, TPP calls for the formation of a permanent political and economic union known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Commission, which will have the power to issue regulations impacting not only trade but immigration, the environment, labor, and commerce. This global union would be able to add new member countries and, because TPP is a "living agreement," it will be able to change the agreement after its ratification.
This makes what may be benign-looking sections on climate change and other items only placeholders to be filled after ratification.
3. Fast-track language creating objectives for any treaty are only suggestions which can be ignored by the president. Congress can offer advice, but only the president can negotiate the terms of a treaty or trade deal and is free to accept or reject said advice. A bipartisan majority of both Houses of Congress sent this president a letter in 2013 urging that currency manipulation be included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Yet in spite of this advice, the president is not including currency issues in TPP. The negotiating objectives section of the fast-track bill can be similarly ignored. Many a leadership aide has been heard to bemoan that Obama really doesn't care what they think; what makes them think this time will be different?
4. Congress has less recourse under fast-track when the president ignores their advice than they would should it fail. Under fast-track, Congress cannot amend a treaty that the president submits, they cannot delay it, and it is guaranteed to only need a simple majority threshold for passage. The only other recourse is to hope that fast-track's primary advocate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), will see the error of his ways and rescind it, hardly a likelihood. Given Obama's history of ignoring and in fact, despising Congress, and his horrific record in negotiating foreign deals, it requires an enormous leap of faith to believe that this time will be different. Of course, Charlie Brown still tries to kick the football with Lucy holding it — but we know how that always works out.
5. Only five out of 29 sections of TPP deal with trade. The TPP rewrites the rules for the world's economy. As Congress is finding out with the need to rescind the country-of-origin-labeling requirements due to World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings, fast-tracking TPP is a major step toward the democratically elected members of Congress ceding their basic legislative functions to the whim of international trade partners.
6. The whole purpose of TPP is to harmonize regulations and laws between countries. It should not come as any surprise that nasty little inconveniences like laws passed by Congress and regulations established by duly elected officials of the United States would be steamrolled by a fast-tracked TPP. I dislike almost everything the Obama administration has done, and I don't want Obama institutionalizing these transformations by rewriting TPP to incorporate them prior to his leaving office, but that is a U.S. internal problem and our laws should not be contravened by someone like the Sharia-law practicing sultan of Brunei.
Congress will be voting on fast-tracking TPP, as well as agreements with Europe and a worldwide services agreement known as the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), which has extensive immigration language. Ultimately, the question is: Do you trust any president with the power to remake U.S. law through a living agreement, and will Congress trust any president with the power to add new countries to a massive, all-encompassing trade agreement without congressional ratification?
If the answer is "no," Congress must vote down trade promotion authority.
Manning is president of Americans for Limited Government.
How many of us knew that only 5 out of 29 sections of TPP actually deal with trade? I guess the other 24 deal with 'screwing Americans big time"!
Link to the text of the TPA: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1003744-tpa-bill-text.html
While this particular Bill doesn’t sound too terrible, the worry is that these fools are trusting the Dear Leader with powers he has clearly shown that he should not be granted.
The TPA should have been put aside until later. Like Jan. 22 2017...
1. Obama is a terrible negotiator
The current _resident does not have the best interests of Americans at heart.
Obama wants it so the GOP should oppose it. That is enough for me.
Ok so I read the link, doesn’t sound good to me....
I am a college graduate, and understand what they are trying to do:
“take jobs from us, the American People, and have us buy more junk from other countries, that don’t have the safeguards and standards we do...
removing meat information, like where the meat came from (hello to mad cow diease) or what is being put in it...
its already been proven that some of the dog food from other countries are not good for our animals because they put whatever in there, and animals have died because of it...
the cheaper way of getting our products to be made or manufactured in other countries are not permitting our American citizens to work to keep OUR economy healthy...
this bill gives whoever is President the right to do basically whatever he/she wants to do and there isn’t anything we can do about it...
they are looking for the best for the world before our own Country first...
and we have to have regulations on the internet because, in my opinion, so we don’t know just exactly what underhanded deals they are making, where now we have somewhat of an idea...
if your senator or representative votes for this, then they should be voted out by next election....
better yet, a vote NO will end this crap...
The TPA is the authority to keep the TPP secret until the last 24 hours, and then with limited debate and no amendments pass it in media secrecy.
Can't afford that $30,000 cancer drug in America?
Well, too bad for you, Mr. Global Citizen!
Prior to ObamaTrade, you could buy that drug in Mexico or India for $300.
Post-ObamaTrade this drug will cost the same worldwide at $30,000.
ANNEX ON TRANSPARENCY AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS AND MEDICAL DEVICES
It is somewhat more complex than merely that... However, I do not find any language in there that specifies a full release of the contents of any proposed Trade Bill or Treaty with a specified time period defined prior to a vote on said Bill or Treaty. It specifies “after” and such, but not “before.”
I do not trust this President. Such powers should not be granted to a traitor. This may be a good bill, but it comes at an unacceptable time.
This thing is a monster. Nobody wants it. I was listening to the calls coming into CSPAN and everybody was furious about this. Dems and Republicans equally outraged. The public is not as stupid as the uniparty would like to believe.
When John Lewis the dumbest of the dumbass Dem congressmen from GA stands up and speaks total truth you know things are bad.
Watch it pass. These congressmen work for big corporations and foreign interests. That is where the money is and money is the mother's milk of politics. Without it, these crooks might have to actually go back to their districts and answer to their voters. With enough money they can party all day long and use the money they get from these big corporations and foreign lobbyists to buy commercials and flyers to make them sound like they really care what the voters think.
Always FOLLOW THE MONEY. Then you can find out why these politicians vote the way they do.
I see not only Obama but many elected officials with a D and R after their name (especially in leadership ranks) that apparently also hate America. Both sides of the aisle are afflicted with this treason bug to benefit their connected cronies and big donors.
Does this mean that the over the counter nutritional suppliment Resveratrol, that costs a hundred bucks, now will cost 44,000 dollars?
http://news.yahoo.com/video/why-did-prescription-resveratrol-cost-235835542-cbs.html
Holy Yikes! That is over-priced!
“When the Senate voted on fast-track, many Senators were unaware that they were voting to authorize the President to form a new transnational governance structure.”
Really? So in other words many senators are as stupid as dogs but still sitting in the seat of power at $174,000 plus per year. What’s wrong with that picture?
I think they’re literate, so they have no excuse. I also think they know what they’re doing, so it’s not even a believable excuse.
“I also think they know what they’re doing”
So do I. Those senators are more than willing to sell us out for a continuing seat at the table. They are mostly so corrupt they care for nothing except lining their own pockets. Its sickening. I can count a handful that are patriotic Americans.
It seems like Washington DC saps their soul right out of them. Religious leaders need to go there and have an exorcism/cleansing.
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