While in Berlin, I was honored to meet members of the US Marine Corps and thank them for their service abroad to keep us safe at home. #TBT
Posted on 05/11/2017 5:34:02 AM PDT by Dave346
Two Republican senators announced Wednesday that they will oppose Robert Lighthizer, President Trump’s nominee for United States Trade Representative, ahead of his likely confirmation this week.
Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Ben Sasse (Neb.) told Lighthizer in a letter released Wednesday that they’d vote against him because “your confirmation process has failed to reassure us that you understand the North American Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) positive economic benefits to our respective States and the nation as a whole.”
“We fear that you do not have an appreciation for the millions of jobs created by this free trade deal, and that you would not champion agriculture during your time as USTR,” wrote McCain and Sasse.
McCain and Sasse’s announcement comes a day before the Senate will take a procedural vote on Lighthizer’s nomination. Both President Trump and Lighthizer are staunch critics of NAFTA, and Trump reportedly considered pulling the U.S. out of the deal with Canada and Mexico.
The senators said they wouldn't consider supporting Lighthizer until the administration releases details plans and timelines on how they'd approach renegotiating NAFTA and other trade agreements.
“Beyond your vocal advocacy for protectionist shifts in our trade policies, the Administration’s ongoing, incoherent, and inconsistent trade message has compounded our concern,” wrote McCain and Sasse.
Trump pledged to reopen NAFTA for changes, and Lighhizer’s confirmation as the administration’s chief trade negotiator is critical for that process. McCain and Sasse both sides Trump’s plans to renegotiate NAFTA in their opposition.
“Granting the Trump Administration additional legal powers through your confirmation without understanding how you or the Administration intend to use those powers would be irresponsible.”
Lighthizer is likely to be confirmed with enough bipartisan support to compensate for McCain and Sasse’s opposition. A confirmation vote could come as early as Friday.
Someone needs to ask for the files on mccain to see if he has broken any laws.
FYI
These are two RINOcrat senators.
The swamp is really shallow, but it is really really wide.
mccain is right there at the top of the list of “resistance” leaders along with hildabeast & schummie.
Thanks hoosiermama....
Lighthizer is likely to be confirmed with enough bipartisan support to compensate for McCain and Sasse's opposition.
ROTFL. I'm not tired of winning yet.
While in Berlin, I was honored to meet members of the US Marine Corps and thank them for their service abroad to keep us safe at home. #TBT
A posting from yesterday if anyone cares to read the responses
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3551958/posts
Two GOP senators come out against Trump trade nominee
61 comments
Here’s something McCain and Morning Joe can investigate:
“Bangladesh prime minister says Clinton personally pressured her to help foundation donor”
Here’s something Sasse, McCain and Morning Joe can investigate:
“Bangladesh prime minister says Clinton personally pressured her to help foundation donor”
Once can see, in that letter, this statement of fact:
Confirming your nomination would allow the Trump Administration to negotiate "fast track" trade agreements, a power that Congress granted the executive branch in the 2015 reauthorization of TPA.
Clearly, Congress anticipated a globalist to be elected to the presidency, otherwise it would NOT have granted this power to the executive branch. McCain and Sasse objections are otherwise contrived. For example, the substance of the "mixed signals" objection is that the administration has signaled both "withdraw from" and "renegotiate" NAFTA. Nobody thinks that outright withdrawal is seriously contemplated at this time, only that (as with just about any negotiation) nothing is off the table. See the military equivalent, "use nukes," which McCain will agree is never off the table.
McCain and Sasse also claim that Mexico will buy more corn from South American countries, and less from the US, based on executive branch trade policy. Hello, deals are made on PRICE, and corn, like oil, is a global commodity. I doubt that Trump intends to harm US agribusiness.
Obviously, these two schmucks are being well-paid with campaign funds from some big agriculture interests in their states. Cash talks.
Quietly let these senators know that Nafta regulations will be scrupulously enforced only in their states.
Thanks GOPJ, I am sure there are many things we are unaware of that the DOJ is investigating......
How about bringing up the Golden Showers story and that audio recording of him talking to those jokers pretending to be foreign government?
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