Posted on 05/10/2017 5:05:23 PM PDT by jazusamo
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.
F*ckin’ McNuts is sticking his nose into everything! Why can’t he just take a dirt nap?!!! That’s a bit harsh! Why can’t he just ESAD?!!!
You’re a regular Nostradamus seeing McCain again. ;^)
McCain having one of his crap fits again.
So Sasse is now a new pal of McPain’s. I’m used to seeing Goober as Juan’s wingman on all issues.
My friends: The true colors are showing. Who will challenge these folks in the primary?
Trump does not hold a majority in the Senate.
He needs to run 34 pro-Trump candidates in 2018.
Does anyone actually like McCain? I remember when he had the nickname “McNasty”.
Sasse is a climbing careerist. Not a conservative bone in his body.
Sasse is always happy to take a cheap shot at POTUS. Here he gets the double bonus of carrying water for ConAgra and other big ag corporations.
There really isn’t any good reason to keep McCain around anymore.
He needs to go.
What's the governor got to do with anything?
Juan’s dominate character trait is that of an attention whore and he’s proven that time and again during his years in Congress. He passes up few opportunities to stab others in the back when he can garner attention by doing so.
I fought as hard as I could to wake folks up in 2010, when he was up for re-election. I volunteered to go to Arizona and walk neighborhoods handing out information I was so stridently against him.
Didn’t get one taker from Arizona here. Not one.
I actually had folks tell me he was a good guy, a vet..., they were nice about it, but it was very frustrating and demoralizing to read their comments.
I had folks tell me McCain was preferred in the primary because his opponent had done one or two things wrong. McCain had done 100s of things wrong. I couldn’t document everything, but I certainly tried.
I wanted McCain stopped in the primary. I was told Sarah Palin knew what was best. Ug!
Here we are seven years later, and the man has 5.5 more years to go on yet an additional term.
Face palm!
In 2010 I came up with this:
Didn’t help one bit.
http://www.hotr.us/mccain/mccainagain.html
Well said, you’re absolutely right in my view.
He would name the replacement.
The Corporate donors have spoken.
Years ago, Sen. Grassley and McCain got into a shouting match and threatened to punch each other. Sen. Bob Kerrey broke them up. The dispute was over McCain’s abandonment of missing POWs in Vietnam.
“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.”
Hell, Obama practically wrote his own laws and these lumpheads said nothing.
Well, somebody has got to look out for the interests of political donors!
He’d have to be expelled from the Senate first, which will never happen.
Pipe dream.
How in H are we supposed to renegotiate trade deals without a rep? Is it going to take a year? Longer?!
Russians might slip him some Polonium.
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