Ted Cruz 2016 : TPA Senate Vote Good : TPA is NOT Secret Agrement (TPA & TPP Different) : 2015-06-12

Texas Supporting Senator Ted Cruz ^ | 2015-06-12 | Toby Marie Walker

[Patton@Bastogne]

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A Note to Conservatives on Trade Agreements


Senator Cruz entirely understands the widespread suspicion of the President. Nobody has been more vocal in pointing out the President’s lawlessness or more passionate about fighting his usurpation of congressional authority.

Senator Cruz would not and will not give President Obama one more inch of unrestricted power.



There have been a lot of questions and concerns about 2the ongoing Pacific trade negotiations. Many of those concerns, fueled by the media, stem from confusion about Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Let’s unpack the issues one by one.



What are TPA and TPP?


TPA stands for Trade Promotion Authority, also known as “fast track”. TPA is a process by which trade agreements are approved by Congress. Through TPA, Congress sets out up-front objectives for the Executive branch to achieve in free trade negotiations; in exchange for following those objectives, Congress agrees to hold an up-or-down vote on trade agreements without amendments. For the past 80 years, it has proven virtually impossible to negotiate free-trade agreements without the fast-track process.



TPP stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPP is a specific trade agreement currently being negotiated by the United States and 11 other countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. China is not a negotiating partner. There is no final language on TPP because negotiations are still ongoing and have been since late 2009. Neither the Senate nor the House has voted yet on the TPP. There will be no vote on TPP until the negotiations are over and the final agreement is sent to Congress.



Some Key Facts:


· Neither the Senate nor the House has voted yet on the TPP.

· Congress is the only entity that can make U.S. law and nothing about TPP or TPA could change that.

· TPA gives the Congress more control up-front over free trade agreements.

· TPA mandates transparency by requiring all trade agreements (including TPP) to be made public for at least 60 days before the Congress can act on them.



Does TPA give up the Senate’s treaty power?

No. Under the Constitution, there are two ways to make binding law: (1) through a treaty, ratified by two-thirds of the Senate, or (2) through legislation passed by a majority of both Houses of Congress. TPA employs the second constitutional path, as trade bills always have done. It has long been recognized that the Constitution’s Origination Clause applies to trade bills, requiring the House of Representatives’ involvement.



Does the United States give up Sovereignty by entering into TPP?

No. Nothing in the agreement forces Congress to change any law. TPA explicitly provides that nothing in any trade agreement can change U.S. law. Congress is the only entity that can make U.S. law, and Congress is the only entity that can change U.S. law. Nothing about TPP or TPA could change that.



Does Senator Ted Cruz support TPP?

Senator Cruz has not taken a position either in favor or against TPP. He will wait until the agreement is finalized and he has a chance to study it carefully to ensure that the agreement will open more markets to American-made products, create jobs, and grow our economy. Senator Cruz has dedicated his professional career to defending U.S. sovereignty and the U.S. Constitution. He will not support any trade agreement that would diminish or undermine either.



Does Senator Ted Cruz support TPA?

Yes. Senator Cruz voted in favor of TPA earlier this year because it breaks the logjam that is preventing the U.S. from entering into trade deals that are good for American workers, American businesses, and our economy. Ronald Reagan emphatically supported free trade, and Senator Cruz does as well. He ran for Senate promising to support free trade, and he is honoring that commitment to the voters.

Free trade helps American farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers; indeed, one in five American jobs depends on trade, in Texas alone 3 million jobs depend on trade. When we open up foreign markets, we create American jobs.

TPA also strengthens Congress’ hand in trade negotiations, and provides transparency by making the agreement (including TPP) public for at least 60 days before the Congress can act on any final agreement. Without TPA, there is no such transparency, and the Congress’ role in trade agreements is weaker.



Is TPA Constitutional?

TPA and similar trade authority has been upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional for more than 100 years.



Does TPA give the President more authority?

No. TPA ensures that Congress has the ability to set the objectives up-front for free trade agreements.

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.

Moreover, Obama is going to be president for just 18 more months. TPA is six-year legislation. If we want the next president (hopefully a Republican) to be able to negotiate free-trade agreements to restart our economy and create jobs here at home then we must reinstate TPA. With a Republican president in office, Senate Democrats would almost certainly vote party-line to block TPA, so now is the only realistic chance.



How can Senator Cruz trust Obama?

He doesn’t. Not at all. No part of Senator Cruz’s support for TPA was based on trusting Obama. However, under TPA, every trade deal is still subject to approval by Congress. If the Obama Administration tries to do something terrible in a trade agreement, Congress can vote it down. And most congressional Democrats will always vote no—because union bosses oppose free trade, so do most Democrats—which means a handful of conservative congressional Republicans have the votes to kill any bad deal. That’s a serious check on presidential power.



Isn’t TPP a “living agreement”?

That particular phrase—a foolish and misleading way to put it—is found in the “summary” portion of one particular section of the draft agreement. That section allows member nations to amend the agreement in the future, expressly subject to the approval of their governments. Thus, if some amendment were proposed in the future, Congress would have to approve it before it went into effect.



But isn’t TPA a secret agreement?

No, it is not. The full text of TPA (fast track) is public. What the Senate just voted for was TPA, not TPP.

Right now, the text of TPP is classified. That is a mistake. Senator Cruz has vigorously called on the Obama administration to make the full text of TPP open to the public immediately. The text being hidden naturally only fuels concerns about what might be in it. Senator Cruz has read the current draft of TPP, and it should be made public now.



Critically, under TPA, TPP cannot be voted on until after the text has been public for 60 days. Therefore, everyone will be able to read it long before it comes up for a vote.



Couldn’t Obama use a trade agreement to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants?

No. There is one section of TPP that concerns immigration, but it affects only foreign nations—the United States has explicitly declined to sign on to that section.

Moreover, Senator Cruz introduced a TPA amendment to expressly prohibit any trade deal from attempting to alter our immigration laws. [LINK to release.]

Two Republican Senators (Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul) blocked the Senate’s consideration of that amendment, but the House of Representatives has agreed to include that language in the final text of the trade legislation. Thus, assuming the House honors that public commitment, federal law will explicitly prohibit any trade deal from impacting immigration.

And, regardless, no trade agreement can change U.S. law; only Congress can change U.S. law.









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[Mariner]

"and, in fact, any debate is controlled."

Debate is limited to 20 hours inn each house.

By law. The the vote must occur.

[jpsb]

"Anyone who is really serious about opposition to legislation votes against anything that forwards that legislation."

That is exactly correct. This posturing by those that voted for TPA is theater. It's like for voting for closure on a bill and then voting again the bill. The closure vote was the vote. They think we are stupid. Looks like I can scratch Cruz and Walker off my list of acceptable candidates. Maybe we can draft Sessions?

[Wolfie]

These agreements just nullify our laws.

Yep. Saying that the TPP doesn't do that is a bold lie the Cruz campaign is selling.

[Mariner]

Drafting Sessions is the IDEAL solution to our quandry.

But, be advised, Trump is adamantly opposed to TPA and TPP. He is also opposed to Amnesty in any form, including the "legalization" of illegals here now. He supports the Southern Wall. He supports enforcement of existing immigrations law.

Just sayin'.

[tanknetter]

What Cruz has done (or, better, will do if he now votes against TPP) is diminish himself, reduced himself into being just another one if the GOP contenders.

If he loses his differentiation, and everything else becomes equal, the big difference between him and, say, Walker is that Walker beat the crap out of the WI unions and survived. Thats not a good place for Cruz to be.

[bert]

Hmmm... who’d a thunk so many FReepers could be so bad wrong?

[zzeeman]

It is not only the TPP that will be 'fast tracked.'

"The Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) would fast-track at least three highly secretive trade deals—specifically the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP)—and potentially more deals.

Right now, TiSA and T-TIP text are completely secretive and unavailable for even members of Congress to read while TPP text is available for members to review—although they need to go to a secret room inside the Capitol where only members of Congress and certain staffers high-level security clearances, who can only go when members are present, can read the bill."

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/11/paul-ryans-pelosi-esque-obamatrade-moment-its-declassified-and-made-public-once-its-agreed-to/

This TPA is opening the floodgates for a whole lotta hurt to be inflicted on this Nation.

[zeugma]

Sorry Ted, no trade deal has ever been amended or rejected once a TPA has been passed. The track record speaks.

That's what I understand to be the facts as well. I made the same point in a post yesterday. I was trying to think of a single "trade agreement" that has been voted down, and can't.

I also believe that calling it an "agreement" rather than a "treaty" is merely an end-run around the constitutional requirement of higher vote percentages for treaties.

That is dishonest, and needs to be spoken to.

 

[RitaOK]

I can’t disagree one bit.

You speak of “differentiation” between Cruz and other extraordinarily accomplished candidates who have already proven themselves in the mine fields, and if Cruz should lose trust, then the margin can be reduced to rhetoric pretty quickly.

I support Cruz, but never thought he could afford many drastic errors given his accomplished competition. (Governors can more often be hell on newly minted senators running for president in their first dang term anyway.)

Maybe Cruz is running for VP, after all. I don’t quite know.

[jpsb]

Well Trump is mostly a salesman, and a very good salesman too. I’d have to see him in the debates, but I do like his position on the issues you’ve outlined. So he is still on my acceptable list, certainly not at the top thou.

[Leto]

The provisions for no filibuster has been in EVERY Fast Track bill for the past 80 years that was specified in the Cruz statement.

[TNMOUTH]

Doesn’t seem to be the bad horrible bill that people say it is...

Nobody can answer WHY Duncan Hunter also voted for it.

Also, why are Dems so afraid of it.

I like Cruz’s explanation and his willingness to fight for his beliefs. He might be wrong at times, but he is the only conservative worth voting for in this race.

[zeugma]

This leaves out an incredibly important point: TPA prevents a Senate filibuster and mandates a simple majority yes/no vote.

Yup.

I'd be fine with not having amendments, and even a lack of the ability to filibuster if they would call a spade a spade, and require the 2/3 vote as specified in the constitution for treaties.

The other stuff is procedural stuff the Constitution does not speak to. It's up to congress how it operates on a procedural basis.

One thing for folks to keep in mind is that if the ratification of this treaty can be delayed until after the election, any agreement as to procedure agreed to by the current congress is not binding on future congresses. The supreme court has ruled on that way back. One congress cannot bind another.

[TNMOUTH]

Honestly, the only ones who disagree with Cruz are people with agendas. They can never say who they support and no matter what happens, they will bash Cruz.

Check the posts...always the same talking points. Usually from the same folks. They just post more of the same stuff...

i’d say the majority on FR support cruz....as do Conservatives in general.

[Pirate Ragnar]

Congress is the only entity that can (legally) make US law.

[TNMOUTH]

Well, I guess my donation to this same letter canceled your out.
So, who do you support now?

[TNMOUTH]

Those who have an agenda won’t listen to you. They are too blinded by hatred of cruz.

[SoConPubbie]

    Ted Cruz Ping!

    If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
    Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

    CRUZ or LOSE!

[WIBamian]

You sound like a Transnational Progressivist.

By doing your Masters' bidding, you are insulting Conservatives in America that refuse to be sacrificed by corrupt politicians that crave more power.

[Impy]

Protectionist fear mongers who side with the majority of liberals against the majority of conservatives aren’t interested in facts.

I expect this thread to bring out the “Cruz isn’t natural born” freaks.