This from a Hugh Hewitt interview on Thursday.
Question, if we have had TPA for 80 years how did it go away? If it didn’t go away, and I don’t think it did, why do we need a new one? Ted is oversimplifying this answer and leaving facts out. In other words, he is brushing it off. Why?
I want to know about the TAA and the TiPA as well.
http://www.hughhewitt.com/senator-ted-cruz-on-2016-tpa-tpp-and-the-islamic-state/
HH: Let’s take that opportunity, then, to go and talk about free trade. TPA, TPP, Export-Import Bank, Senator Cruz, for clarity’s sake, can you quickly give us an overview of where you are on those three issues as there’s quite a lot of confusion among conservative voters as to where different people are and why on each of those three issues?
TC: Sure. There is a lot of confusion, and there’s unfortunately a lot of misinformation that you can get on the internet, that people are confused. So let’s explain what each of those three are. TPA is trade promotion authority. That’s also known as fast track. That is the process through which free trade agreements are negotiated. Historically since FDR, virtually every president has had fast track authority. What fast track provides is simply if a free trade agreement is negotiated, the Congress will vote on it up or down without amendment. And history has demonstrated for the last 80 years that the only way to get free trade agreements adopted is to have fast track, that if there is no fast track, free trade agreements do not end up being negotiated. TPA is what the Senate voted on recently. I voted in favor of fast track, because I support free trade. I think free trade benefits America, it creates jobs, opening markets to our farmers, to our ranchers, to our manufacturers, improves economic growth. In Texas alone, roughly three million jobs depend upon international trade. And if you support free trade, the only way history has shown free trade agreements get negotiated is with fast track. Now there is a second issue that’s caused a great deal of confusion, and that is TPP.
This is why TPA is up for renewal. Some person has made the best stab I have found at finding something coherent on the subject of this alphabet soup but we still do not know what is in it and I am suspicious.
For example, Roger Hedgecock sitting in for Rush yesterday, said that there is a provision that if a visa is applied for and the feds don’t act on it in 30 days it is automatically approved. That pretty much means that all visa applications will be approved. A new law makes it lawful to do that which is otherwise unlawful or not in the best interest of US nor does it protect our sovereignty ... more open borders is what it is.
http://www.educationviews.org/efforts-simplify-taa-tpa-tpp-2/
Trade Promotion Authority has been used to reduce trade barriers since FDR. When Harry Reid took over the Senate, he killed it. History demonstrates that it is almost impossible to negotiate a free-trade agreement without TPA. Right now without TPA, America is unable to negotiate free-trade agreements, putting the United States at a disadvantage to China, which is taking the lead world-wide. It is not in America’s interests to have China writing the rules of international trade.