Posted on 04/16/2015 11:49:33 AM PDT by Theoria
The leaders of Congress’s tax-writing committees reached agreement Thursday on legislation to give President Obama “fast track” authority to negotiate an ambitious trade accord with 11 other Pacific nations, beginning what is sure to be one of the toughest legislative battles of his last 19 months in office.
The “trade promotion authority” bill — likely to be unveiled Thursday afternoon — would give Congress the power to vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership once it is completed, but would deny lawmakers the chance to amend what would be the largest trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Senator Orrin G. Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, had to agree to stringent requirements for the trade deal to win over Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking Democrat on the finance panel. Those requirements included a human-rights negotiating objective that has never existed in trade agreements, according to lawmakers involved in the talks.
The legislation would also make any final trade agreement public for 60 days before the president signs it, and up to four months before Congress votes. If the agreement, negotiated by the United States Trade Representative, fails to meet the objectives laid out by Congress — on labor, environmental and human rights standards — a 60-vote majority in the Senate could shut off “fast track” trade rules and open the deal to amendments.
“We got assurances that U.S.T.R. and the president will be negotiating within the parameters defined by Congress,” said Representative Dave Reichert, Republican of Washington and a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The disconnect is that he is all in on supporting Illegal Immigration.
Yes...I agree we agree...I guess I’m just frustrated tonight as I’ve been scanning International Affairs.. and it’s pretty disturbing when our Congress and President are so very weak and cannot agree to see where our country is at in the scheme of things...let alone stand together.
I do see your point ad agree it’s still better then if he had a free hand altogether....even so i think as his term draws closer to it’s end he’s going to do a sweep just the same...and use Executive Orders to push things right on thru that he’s going to stack up before he leaves.
I don’t follow Sanders too often...but agreed with the photo saying.....unfortunately many are going to find themselves all in on supporting illegal immigration once in WAshington. The force behind International Trade and the like are not going to stand for the borders being anymore than ‘monitored’....
I agree. And in response I say once again, the House has the purse strings. It can refuse to fund anything it wants to without consultation with the Senate or the President.
John Boehner is the problem.
Well there's more than just Boehner that's the problem as it's not just his ‘purse’....and since 'they' do have the power of the purse it seems pretty evident 'they' aren't willing to use it to stop much of anything.....rather they dither and trade , wheel and deal, when they could just say “No”....
I agree with that too. They don’t say no to this guy.
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